Mary Wilson (album)
| Mary Wilson | ||||
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| Studio album by Mary Wilson | ||||
| Released | August 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Soul, Disco, Funk | |||
| Length | 32:00 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Hal Davis | |||
| Mary Wilson chronology | ||||
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| Allmusic |   |
Mary Wilson is the debut solo album by the founding Supremes member, Mary Wilson, released on the Motown label in 1979.
The album was Wilson's first album recorded after she left the last line-up of the Supremes which included herself, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene. The Supremes had released their 29th and last studio album, Mary, Scherrie & Susaye, in October 1976, just nine months before they officially disbanded as a group. During June 1977, Wilson decided to leave the Supremes (who were managed by her then-husband Pedro Ferrer at the time). Prior to her husband becoming the manager of the group, Wilson and Berry Gordy had an argument backstage at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas in 1970 (the same night Diana Ross made her farewell performance with the group to start a solo career). The argument started when Gordy had wanted to replace Jean Terrell (who was already chosen to take Ross's place as lead) with Syreeta Wright. Finally deciding to put her foot down against Gordy, Wilson refused to let Wright take Terrell's place, leading Gordy to state that he was washing his hands of the group, leaving Wilson and her husband to manage the group and keep the group's career alive.
Wilson had decided to begin a solo career after all three members could not agree on the Supremes' musical direction, leaving Payne and Greene to try - unsuccessfully - to find a replacement for Wilson.
Upon leaving the Supremes, Wilson became involved in a protracted legal battle with Motown Records over its management of the Supremes. After an out-of-court settlement, she signed a solo record deal with Motown. Originally, Marvin Gaye was scheduled to produce the album. However, Gaye was preoccupied with his divorce from Berry Gordy's elder sister Anna Gordy at the time, thus leaving her to work with Hal Davis who produced some of The Supremes earlier material as well as having worked with The Jackson 5 and with Michael Jackson on his early solo albums for Motown.
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