Mary Wells
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Mary Wells was an American soul, R&B, and pop singer who rose to fame via her hit single, "My Guy" and whose earlier singles shaped the sound of Motown Records in the early sixties.
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[edit] Biography
Mary Esther Wells was born on May 13, 1943 and raised in Detroit, Michigan. When she was two years old, Mary had a spinal meningitis. She lost her sight and hearing and was temporary paralyzed. He regain his eyesight and hearing and little by little, he learned to walk again. Mary became a member of Northwestern High School Choir. Mary performed at some local clubs and joined talent contest.
She met Robert Bateman, a Motown Records assistant of Berry Gordy in 1959. After auditioning for Gordy, he signed Mary to Motown releasing her debut single, "Bye Bye Baby", in 1960. The song was followed by "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" in 1961. After her third single failed to chart, she teamed up with Motown producer Smokey Robinson. Her next single, "The One Who Really Loves You" became a blockbuster hit which chartered #2 on the R&B Chart and #8 on the Billboard's Pop Chart. Her next single, "You Beat Me To The Punch" reached #1 on the R&B Chart. Another hit single was "Two Lovers" which also chartered #1 on the R&B Chart.
Her album, The One Who Really Loves You released in 1962 became the Best Selling Motown album in that year. In 1963, she released another hit singles, "Laughing Boy" and "What's Easy for Two is So Hard for One" which broke the R&B top ten and the top thirty at Pop. Her signature song, "My Guy" was released in 1964. After recording a successful duet album with Marvin Gaye, Wells left Motown in 1964 for 20th Century Fox Records and scored a hit with the #13 R&B/#34 Pop hit, "Use Your Head".
Her single, "Dear Lover" under Atco Records reached #6 on the R&B Radio Charts in 1965. In 1981, she released the single "Gigolo" which chartered #2 on the Billboard Disco Charts. She released the album, Keeping My Mind on Love in 1990. In that same year, Mary was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. She died on July 26, 1992.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Pop Album Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 9 | Two Lovers and Greatest Hits |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Mary Wells.
[edit] Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 1962 Motown |
 1963 Motown |
 1963 Motown |
 1964 Motown |
 1965 20th Century |
 1965 20th Century |
 1966 Atco |
 1981 EPK |
 1990 Quality |
 2000 Universal |
[edit] Singles
[edit] Compilations & Live Releases
 April 15, 1964 Motown |
 October 25, 1990 Motown |
 September 7, 1993 Motown |
 1994 Pilz |
 August 30, 1994 Varese Sarabande |
 1995 Ichiban |
 March 14, 1995 Motown |
 April 2, 1996 Motorcity |
 February 10, 1998 Motown |
 October 26, 1999 Motown |
 December 7, 1999 Federal |
 Direct Source |
 September 11, 2001 Town Sound |
 November 23, 2004 Collectables |
 June 7, 2005 Platinum Disc |
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- Mary had 7 children.
