Mary Wells

Mary Esther Wells ( born May 13, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan, † July 26, 1992 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American soul singer who was known for her recordings in the record label Motown.

Life

Wells grew up in a poor environment. In her childhood, she contracted meningitis as a result of which it was temporarily blind and deaf, but both visual as well as ability to hear recurred. Then sang in the choir of her school and later joined in various clubs and talent contests. In 1959 she met the Motown staff Robert Bateman know and offered him a song called Bye Bye Baby in which she had written for Jackie Wilson. Bateman made ​​it possible that Wells could sing their song Berry Gordy, what you finally earned a record deal. Bye Bye Baby 1960 Wells' first hit single.

The consequence Single I Do not Want to Take a Chance was able to repeat the success of Bye Bye Baby, but Strangelove flopped. Gordy then decided to make Smokey Robinson to Wells' songwriter and producer. It went outset in 1962 the top 10 singles The One Who Really Loves You, You Beat Me to the Punch and Two Lovers forth and finally the album The One Who Really Loves You was released, it also make it into the top 10 and so until then, Motown's best-selling album.

1963 was followed by a total of four Top 40 hits: Laughing Boy, What's So Easy for Two Is So Hard for One, Your Old Standby ( originally published as the back of What Love Has Joined Together) and You Lost the Sweetest Boy. The year 1964 began with the release of My Guy, which displaced the Beatles from the top of the pop charts soon. It should be Wells' biggest hit. Later in the year she took along with Marvin Gaye songs Once upon a Time and What's the Matter with You, Baby, both of which came in the top 20, and toured with the Beatles by the United Kingdom. As a result, they also recorded the album Love Songs to the Beatles, were heard on the various Beatles cover. It turned out to be a flop.

After that, the greater success came from and Wells left Motown to instead sign with 20th Century Fox. Furthermore, holding the commercial success within limits and the middle of 1965 she left there again. Their first single for Atco, Dear Lover, managed at least in the top 10 R & B chart, later followed by two small hits on Jubilee Records. 1970 Wells married Cecil Womack, the brother of Bobby Womack, and withdrew from the music scene.

She was in the 1970s then a few more shots for Reprise and separated in 1977 by Womack. The early '80s, she experienced with producer Wayne Henderson a brief comeback when her song Gigolo managed a 2nd place in the disco charts, and began to tour again. She released two albums received less attention. 1990 was diagnosed with cancer in the mouth with her then, eventually a negative effect on her voice, which is why they stopped touring. Two years later, she died of cancer in Los Angeles.

Discography

Tamla Motown (UK)

Albums

  • My Baby Just Cares TML11006 For Me LP
  • TML11032 Greatest Hits LP
  • STMS5057 Sings My Guy LP
  • STMS5093 Greatest Hits LP

Singles

  • TME2007 Mary Wells EP

Swell

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