Artist

Mary Wells

Popular Songs

The most popular songs by Mary Wells.

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Mary Wells. By Songfacts®.

Motown star Mary Wells was born into poverty to a single mother who was struggling to raise two other children in the poorest section of Detroit, Michigan. As she described to Gerri Hirshey (author of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women In Rock), it left little hope for her future: "Until Motown, in Detroit there were three big careers for a black girl," Wells said. "Babies, the factories and daywork. Period."

By the time she was 12, she started helping her mother with the inevitable "daywork," which consisted of housecleaning and scrubbing hallways.

"Misery is Detroit linoleum in January - with a half-froze bucket of Spic-and-Span," she was quoted in Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music.

Wells had no intention of living the rest of her life in misery. She had already learned to be a fighter at an early age when, at four years old, she contracted spinal meningitis, which rendered her partially deaf and blind. Temporary paralysis forced her into a two-year convalescence in a hospital bed with little else to do except watch movie musicals… and dream of being a star.

By 1964, Mary Wells had already made music history as the first legitimate star of Motown, but she wasn't finished breaking new ground. Her song "My Guy" became an international hit, peaking at #8 on the UK Charts and reaching some pretty famous ears. The Beatles called Wells their favorite American singer and invited her to tour with them throughout the United Kingdom. She shared her excitement with Mersey Beat in 1964: "I thought it was wonderful. I admire them very much and as far as I'm concerned they're the best."

Not only was Wells one of the few female artists to open for the Beatles (a feat shared by Brenda Holloway and Jackie DeShannon), she was also one the first Motown stars to tour overseas.

In 1965, Wells released a tribute album to her new friends, titled Love Songs to the Beatles.

Mary Wells was known for a raw sound that gave her performances a sensual, earthy quality, but that same signature throatiness raised concerns shortly after her comeback in the 1980s. Noticeably raspier than usual, Mary tried to ignore the strain on her vocal chords until she could barely eek out a whisper on stage.

Her doctor discovered lesions on her vocal chords and, in 1990, diagnosed her with stage 3 laryngeal cancer. The treatment destroyed both her voice and her finances. The music community - including Diana Ross, Anita Baker, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen - rallied together to raise money for Wells (amounting to around $125,000). She also went on to win a six-figure settlement from a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Motown to secure unpaid royalties.

Wells started to regain her health when her cancer went into remission, but it returned by the summer of 1991 and quickly ravaged her body. She was just 49 years-old when she died on July 26, 1992.

Albums

Mary Wells's most popular albums.

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5.8MArtists
73.5MSongs
12.3MAlbums
6.3KGenres
2.5MLabels
493KPlaylists