Mary Wells Artistfacts

Mary Wells song list

Mary Wells Artistfacts

May 13, 1943 - July 26, 1992
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.
Mary Wells' love life was as tumultuous and complicated as her singing career. In 1960, when she was just 17, she married a fellow Motown musician who was also appointed by the label to be her chaperone. Herman Griffin was a volatile character who had a reputation for violence and wielded strict control over Wells. Even after their divorce two years later, Griffin's influence was so strong he was able to convince her to leave Motown at the height of her fame - a choice that would prove to be the death knell of her career.
In 1966, Wells married Cecil Womack (known for singing with the Valentinos). Womack became her songwriting partner and helped keep her post-Motown career afloat with songs like "The Doctor." They had three children together (Stacey Noel, Cecil Jr. and Harry), but Mary's increasing unhappiness with her career and her marriage led her to seek comfort with another man: her brother-in-law, Curtis Womack. After her continued depression and a suicide attempt, Mary and Cecil divorced in 1977.

She carried on a love affair with Curtis for over a decade and the two had a daughter, Sugar. Wells confessed her relationships with both Womack brothers were miserable: she blamed Cecil for her career's downward spiral and claimed Curtis was often physically abusive.
When Mary Wells made a comeback in the 1980s, she found her most ardent followers in the Hispanic community. Will Porter, a San Francisco-based singer and bandleader who toured with Wells and other class acts from the Motown era, explained in the documentary Unsung: Mary Wells: "There was this Hispanic following that she had in the southwestern states and in California that a lot of people don't know about. We would show up some place in a ball field and there would be 10,000 Cholos and low-riders, and Mary was the queen. Those crowds supported her very, very intensely. These were the people that were tattooing her name on them and naming their children Mary Wells Martinez or whatever."
Growing up with not one, but two parents from the music industry, it's no surprise that Mary Wells' children were drawn to the family business.

Wells had three children from her marriage to songwriter/producer Cecil Womack: firstborn Stacey Noel (who has since dropped the Stacey) is a singer/songwriter, while sons Cecil Jr. ("Meech") and Harry ("Shorty") perform and produce in the hip hop genre. Wells' youngest daughter Sugar - who was born during her relationship with Cecil's brother Curtis Womack - also began promoting herself as a singer through her website.

After Wells' untimely death from laryngeal cancer in 1992, the Wells/Womack clan formed the R&B group Wells to honor their mother's legacy.

Comments: 1

Vivian Williams from Annapolis, MdMy sister and I always loved Mary Wells. Her music always brought such joy. I'm sorry to read about her hard life.

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