Mary Wells

Mary Wells was Motown’s first queen. At age 17, she buttonholed Berry Gordy, Jr., at a record hop at Detroit’s 20 Grand nightclub and implored him to listen to a song she had written for Jackie Wilson. She sang “Bye Bye Baby” a cappella and so impressed Gordy that he had her cut it instead. Wells had her first national hit, and in 1961 Motown had its first R&B Top 10 by a female artist. That she wrote her first hit made Wells even more special. Yet her story is as ultimately tragic as it was briefly triumphant.

Growing up poor to a single mother who worked as a domestic, Wells was afflicted with spinal meningitis at age two. She temporarily lost her sight and hearing, and was paralyzed, but eventually recovered, buoyed by her love of music and singing. Gordy, who was expanding Tamla Records into Motown, jumped on her initial success with “Bye Bye Baby” and co-wrote with Mickey Stevenson “I Don’t Want to Take a Chance,” which not only went Top 10 R&B but crossed over into the pop Top 40.

She hit her stride when Smokey Robinson took over as her producer and chief songwriter. Wells developed a breathier, more mature approach and in 1962 vaulted into the pop Top 10 three times, with “The One Who Really Loves You” and a set of R&B no. 1s, “You Beat Me to the Punch” and “Two Lovers.” Her album The One Who Really Loves You broke into the pop Top 10 and became the biggest selling Motown album to that date.

In 1963, “Laughing Boy,” “Your Old Standby” and both sides of the single “What’s Easy for Two Is So Hard for One”/“You Lost The Sweetest Boy” (the latter with the Supremes and Temptations singing backup), were Top 10 R&B and Top 40 pop. Her phenomenal streak climaxed with the irresistible chart-topper “My Guy” in 1964. The song snapped The Beatles’ run at the top of the charts and has since been recognized as one of the quintessential songs of Motown and '60s pop. Teamed with Marvin Gaye, she then scored two Top 20 pop hits with one single: “Once Upon a Time” b/w “What’s the Matter With You Baby.”

Wells was just 21 years old, and at the zenith of her popularity; The Beatles had proclaimed her their favorite American singer. The Fab Four even invited her to tour with them throughout the U.K. Then it all ended.

The seeds of her downfall occurred on her 21st birthday, which triggered a clause in her contract that allowed her to exit Motown. Lured by a lucrative deal and the promise of movie stardom, she signed with 20th Century Fox Records. But the film work never materialized and her career momentum stalled.

Of her first Fox singles in 1964, “Ain’t It the Truth” just missed the pop Top 40. While other songs grabbed attention, her self-titled album disappointed. Fox dissolved her deal by mid-1965.

With disco reviving the careers of many R&B pop artists, Wells too was rediscovered. In and Out of Love, released on Epic in 1981, featured the single “Gigolo,” which charted no. 2 disco. Her touring also picked up, bolstered by an indie album, I’m a Lady, in 1983 and another, Keeping My Mind on Love, in 1990.

A longtime smoker, Wells was then diagnosed with throat cancer. The overwhelming costs of her treatment forced her to sell her house and much of her possessions. The treatments themselves ravaged her voice, resulting in her not being able to perform concerts. Some of her former Motown family came to her rescue, with Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Martha Reeves providing financial aid. Also contributing were other artists, including Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, and Bonnie Raitt, who remembered her glory days and how her music had inspired them.

Wells testified before Congress to encourage government funding for cancer research. But for her it was too late. In summer 1992, at only age 49, she passed away. Mary Wells left behind a musical legacy that, however short in length, did not lack in greatness.