Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Q+A: MARY WILSON

Who: Mary Wilson

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Golden Nugget

Tickets: $35 and up; 386-8100

She's the real deal, no faux-Supreme, no tribute artist.

Longtime Las Vegas resident Mary Wilson, a co-founder of the Supremes with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, brings her energy and enthusiasm to the Golden Nugget this weekend.

It's probably a good bet that you'll hear her sing "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love " and "Stop, In the Name of Love," which are among the biggest hits of the group that was at its peak in the 1960s.

Wilson is almost as busy as ever performing around the world. In recent years she has become active in Truth in Music, a campaign by many artists who want to protect their identities from theft by fakes.

She also spends time giving inspirational speeches and discussing her best-selling autobiography "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme" and the sequel "Supreme Faith ... Someday We'll Be Together."

There has been a spike in interest in the Supremes since the release of the movie "Dreamgirls" last year. Loosely based on the group, the film won two Oscars including best supporting actress for newcomer Jennifer Hudson. It also stars Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy.

Wilson recently talked to the Sun about her life.

Q: How do you keep busy these days?

I'm just working, working, working. Since the group disbanded in 1977 I've kept up a very hectic schedule, traveling around the world, doing concerts. It's my 48th or 49th year in show business. It's hard to believe.

Are you on the road all the time?

That's why people don't know I live in Las Vegas because I'm always on the road. And that's why it would be nice to be working here, so I could stay home. I try to at least stay home two or three days a week so I can be with my grandchildren.

My daughter and her husband live here. They have three children (2 1/2, 7 and 8 years old). I actually decided to move in with them. I've been a gypsy my whole life. I'm 63 years old - I know I look 40, but I've got one of those young spirits. I just decided having that kind of life is wonderful on one hand, but you know, I see so many of my friends who are miserable. Their career dies, they're old and alone. I don't want to be like that. I want to be happy all my life. I want to live with my family and still be a star or whatever I am and still have a normal life because I am a normal person.

How many grandchildren do you have?

I have eight, but I'm only living with three of them. I've kind of done that because I figure I should have a life outside of show business. I intend to work until I can't work any longer, because I love doing what I'm doing. I've kind of rearranged my schedule so I'm only gone on the weekends, Thursday through Sunday or Monday, something like that.

How did you end up in Las Vegas?

I brought my children up in Los Angeles, in Hollywood. It was a time when Hollywood had gone down tremendously. So we moved here in the late '80s or early '90s. I did it because I wanted my children not to be in the middle of that hectic lifestyle of the city. Vegas was just beginning to grow. I thought it would be very nice for the children to be here, out of that city life in L.A.

You've lived here almost 20 years?

I say I've lived here that long. I've maintained a home here. My daughter and son graduated from Green Valley High School. But I kind of moved all around. I've always had a house here, yes, but I was in New York for eight years or something like that. But I was still back and forth. I was bicoastal.

Vegas has changed a lot since you moved here.

I can remember when the airport was really small. I was living in Green Valley and you could get to the airport in five minutes. Now I live in Anthem. When we moved there we were told nothing would be around us.

The entertainment scene has changed as well.

It has changed tremendously. A lot of artists can't get work here and that's amazing because it was built on that kind of entertainment, and gambling. You don't see a lot of the stars here that you should see here and I hope that that's changing with my coming to the Golden Nugget. I'm hoping that it is changing because this is where a lot of people from my generation would love to work. People would come here to see them work, so I'm hoping this is a trend, to bring that back.

When did you first perform in Vegas?

Our first gig in Las Vegas was at the Flamingo in 1967. We have worked the Sands, the Riviera. We had a big closing show at the Frontier when Diana left the group in '70.

When you're touring, what kinds of venues do you perform at?

All kinds. I do a lot of corporate dates. I do a lot of performing arts centers all over the world, and whatever clubs are left. There are not a lot of those. They're gone. But there are still some. In fact I have an "up-close show" I call it, a jazz standard show that I do. Pretty much that's what I do for the club dates.

What can fans expect at the Golden Nugget?

It's a concert. I'm like a young Tina Turner. Basically I'm a very high-powered sort of performer. I have to do Supreme songs. I do that because that's my legacy. I wear the beautiful gowns. Then I change and do a lot of contemporary songs.

I understand you have quite a collection of gowns.

I have a Supreme gown collection, something I've managed to keep all through the years - Diana's gowns, Florence's gowns, whoever was in the group at the time. It goes on tour. It may go on a tour to England. We're looking forward to that. It's been at the Metropolitan (Museum of Art) in New York, at the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland. There are at least 75 gowns. It's a beautiful collection. I kept them in my garage for years.

Are you doing much recording lately?

Actually, I recorded quite a bit in Europe through the years, but not much here. The record companies are going out of business. I hate to put it like that, but it's true. So I've really recorded, from the '70s on, pretty much in Europe. I'm currently recording a new original album, CD , I guess you would call it. A single from the album should be out in the summer. The complete CD of all the songs should be out in the fall.

What did you think of the movie "Dreamgirls?"

It was wonderful. Originally it was a play. It got many Tony awards. The producers of the play kept it very quiet but the word was that, yes, it was based loosely on the Supremes. But now that the movie has come out, the producers of the movie are really coming out loudly saying it was based on the Supremes. But really, what I could say is that it's not really the Supremes' story - but since we were very famous in the '60s and the writers were from the '60s, they said, "Let's write a play about a singing group, about a girl group. What about the Supremes? We can't say it's about the Supremes because then we'll have to pay." So what they did was they used our history, the legacy and a lot of similarities.

And they didn't pay you?

And they didn't pay me. I don't know about Diana Ross.

Are you still in touch with her?

Not really. I hope that will change. I sincerely hope that will change. I love her very, very much and I think we're all adults now and I think we should be able to talk. There is no argument, really. I don't know what the problem is.

Tell us about Truth in Music and your attempt to put a stop to performers stealing artists' identities.

I and a lot of other artists have gotten involved in trying to get legislation passed about phony groups and groups that use famous names. I was one of the original people to start it. We were all lobbying in New York back in the '80s. Eventually we decided to write some legislation and try to get it passed, and we have gotten it passed in nine or 10 states so far. Here in Nevada we got (state Sen.) Joe Heck (R-Henderson) to sponsor the bill, so it should hopefully pass here in Nevada very soon. We really need it to be passed here.

Why?

There are so many things out there with the Internet, and so many more things coming out in technology. You need new laws to stop people from crossing over the line. There are no lines anymore.

Why is that a problem?

Because all of these people use the legacies but they go way beyond that, using the name as well. So they really take over your career, your history. As far as the movie, "Dreamgirls," on one hand it bothers me, but on the other it has brought light to the Supremes, and the movie was beautiful. It was beautifully done, and they did come back and say it was about the Supremes.

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