Photo Gallery below
Cultural
Ambassador Mary Wilson likes to tell the story of how she
and two girlfriends rose from the Brewster housing projects
of Detroit to become Cinderellas of the 1960s rock &
roll scene.
“I was living a fairy tale,”
said Ms. Wilson, speaking before about 40 people at the
Radisson Victoria Hotel Monday night (Oct. 6). “We
all have the opportunity to have a fairy tale come true
in our own lives. You can be a singer, doctor, lawyer, whatever
you want, but you’ve got to start by daring to dream.”
Ms. Wilson, one of the original members of
the famous 60’s group, the Supremes, became a Cultural
Ambassador this year through CultureConnect, an initiative
of the U.S. Department of State. Her Uruguayan tour, including
performances, speeches, press interviews and a workshop
with young Uruguayan musicians and singers, was arranged
by the U.S. Embassy, Montevideo.
Ms. Wilson also traveled to Argentina and
Brazil to bring messages of hope and encouragement to youth
striving to succeed in the arts. Her inspirational speech,
titled, “Daring to Dream,” encourages people
to focus on their goals and persist until they are successful.
During her speech, Ms. Wilson recalled her
persistence with her friend Florence Ballard and later with
Diana Ross to get Motown Records executives to give them
a chance to become singers.
“We sat outside the Motown building
every day, saying hello to all the singers. Then we were
allowed to sit in the reception area,” Ms. Wilson
said. That continued until one day, one of the producers
was desperate for background singers and the girls quickly
volunteered.
“Fame didn’t just fall into my
lap. I didn’t become a successful person in the beginning,”
Wilson explained. “We had 10 flop records before we
had a hit.”
That hit was the song, “Where Did Our
Love Go?”
Ironically, Ms. Wilson recalls, the year
the Supremes gained any recognition was the same year the
Civil Rights Law was passed, making African Americans full-fledged
U.S. Citizens.
“I learned the hard way how to stand
up for my individuality,” she said. “I learned
to stand up for my rights. In the 50s and 60s it wasn’t
easy for a black teenager to get started in anything.”
Ms. Wilson spoke of her glamorous world travels
during the Supremes’ most successful years (1964 to
1969). The Supremes were the first black group to have a
TV special and were the first to travel to England for a
concert tour.
“The Supremes help put a beautiful
face on black women,” she said.
The break up of the original Supremes in
1970 was painful for Ms. Wilson and because she wanted to
continue singing, she struggled to make it without Florence
Ballard and Diana Ross. She continues to follow her dream
to be recognized as solo singer Mary Wilson. But singing
wasn’t her only aspiration. At age 55 she returned
to college to earn an associate’s degree.
After her speech, Ms. Wilson encouraged a
young woman from the audience to sing a bit of her favorite
song. Afterward, the woman asked Ms. Wilson how she learned
to sing.
“Practice, practice, practice,”
Ms. Wilson said. “That’s how I have a voice
like this. It took me all these years to really like my
voice.”
Ms. Wilson fielded questions from the media
on her work as Cultural Ambassador, her favorite music,
and her opinions on hip-hop music, war and politics. Ms.
Wilson encouraged more participation by women in politics
throughout the world.
Later, during a reception, a member of the
audience serenaded Ms. Wilson with the Spanish version of
the song, “Maria.”
More stories on Mary Wilson’s
visit to Uruguay:
To visit the CultureConnect
website: http://www.cultureconnect.state.gov
More stories on Mary Wilson’s
visit to Uruguay:
-- Press Release
-- Cultural Ambassador
Mary Wilson performs in concert, brings message of encouragement
to young Uruguayans
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| Cultural Ambassador Mary Wilson speaks
at the Radisson Victoria Hotel |
Audience members listen as Ms. Wilson
tells them to "Dare to Dream." |
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| Ms. Wilson shows slides of her rise
to fame. |
After the speech, Ms. Wilson is serenaded
by a member of the audience. |
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| Ms. Wilson speaks to a member of the
media. |
Audience members gather around Ms. Wilson
at a reception after the speech. |
