Help improve The Supremes songbird Mary Wilson's profile and find other Motown stars for the Connection Finder! [closed]

Question

We are featuring Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes, in the Connection Finder next week. She passed away yesterday at the age of 76.

Can you help us?

In addition, we're looking for profiles of other Motown greats to feature alongside her. Here are a few of the people we're getting started on:

• Marvin Gaye
• Michael Jackson
• Bonnie Pointer

Can you help with these profiles, or expand their families? Adding relatives in any direction helps with connections. Every missing relative you add will make our connections to them closer.

Who else should we feature? Do they need a profile?

All profiles we feature need a good biography and a connection to the big tree. We also want each one to have an image, and the image needs to have proper source attribution explaining why it's in the public domain or why we have the right to display it.

We can't feature everyone mentioned (we only have room for eight per week), but if we don't feature a profile you work on, we may use it sometime in the future. And, of course, all contributions help improve our shared tree.

We'll make a final decision on which ones to feature early next week.

Please reply here with what you're working on so that we don't duplicate our efforts. Thank you!

To help us plan future themes, see the 2021 Example Profile Plans post here.

Comments

I possibly found a maiden name for Rufus Woods' wife Cornelia... 

their marriage I believe is here: 

"Mississippi Marriages, 1800-1911", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2ZW-PNK : 14 February 2020), Rufus Wood, 1890.

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Mary is still unconnected, y'all, so please jump in if you see a spot. Robin-thanks for what you've added! I was running into bricks where I was working so I picked up on a private spouse you hadn't put in yet and am off on another bunny trail.

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I wonder about trying to connect via her husband Pedro Antonio Ferrer? He’s Puerto Rican and there are quite a few Ferrer’s on WT.

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I was thinking the same thing, Robin. If you want to start in on his line, that would be great. I didn't see a Wikipedia article for him yet, though he's notable enough to have one.

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I poked around a bit but can’t seem to verify his info at all, which is super frustrating. Is there anything in the Ancestry tree that’s linked? I don’t subscribe so cannot see.

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I just found one through Mary's mom's side! I love uncommon names for connections sometimes, because they tend to pool together. Dillahunt <distant> cousins for the win. Should show up tomorrow. I am going to add this slew of sources I have piled up to what I already have there and move on to everything that's been waiting all week for attention :-)

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Fantastic news!!! Yay!!

I’m trying to connect Eddie Kendrick now.

Answer 1

Ewart Gladstone Abner (1923-1997) -- Vice-President of International Management at Motown in 1967, President of Motown from 1973 to 1975, he helped “manage the careers of the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson Five” (according to the NYT so says Wikipedia). 

Profile needs work, but I've just adopted it so will see what I can do.

EDITED -- working on biography, and will look for Connections.

Comments

I am getting the impression that some of us are trying to treat "Motown" as a term for pretty much all rhythm and blues music made by Black people in the 20th century. I find that a bit offensive -- sort of like a white person saying "all Black people look alike to me."

Motown refers to the music produced by Motown Studios in Detroit, the musicians Motown promoted, and the musical styles that they engendered. The Motown sound was strongly  influenced by other genres, such as the Delta blues, but that does not make a Delta blues musician like John Lee Hooker into a Motown artist.

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Hi Ellen,

I don't know if the notion of some of us treating Motown, a black-owned record company' as a term for music made by black people. I have copied a link providing the origins of Motown and Barry Gordy. I will say that most, if not all of the singers and groups signed by Gordy were black and required to dress and perform in a particular way; ergo, the Motown sound and look. His intent was to break the racial barriers 'to move audiences no matter their skin colour.'

Here is the link: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/how-motown-broke-racial-barriers-like-no-other-record-label/

I also seem to recall that 'Motown' got it's name from it's location in Detroit which was known back in the day as 'Motor City.' I could be wrong. I'm 76, lived in the Midwest until the 1980's, was in high school in the late 50's and early 60's and knew what I liked for music back then, Black, White, Brown or otherwise. I totally dug that Motown sound and we couldn't keep those records long enough when I worked in the record department at F. W. Woolworth!  And all Black people didn't look alike to me then, nor do they now.

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Motown is great but expanded would be better. The more the merrier. My Thoughts.

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Could this discussion take place somewhere other than here, where I am trying to keep on track with Ewart Goldstone Abner and attempts to find a Connection path for him -- because he WAS Motown.

If you consider otherwise, I would be more than happy to remove him from contention, and will hide this answer.

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I have not found a Connection for Ewart, yet.

I am still looking, but with diminishing hope.

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Thanks for all the effort for Ewart, Melanie! I have to finalize things, so he doesn't look like he's going to make it, but I plan on working on many of the profiles mentioned so we have some great options next time around, hopefully including Ewart. If you happen to find something between today and tomorrow, let me know. We may be able to squeeze him in, as we won't have a full roster this go around.

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I think I had already accepted he wouldn't make it -- but, on the off-chance I find a Connection by tonight, I will def let you know.

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Good try, Melanie.

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Indeed, good try, and a great idea to look for a manager to feature.

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Well, I gave it my best, and fell short.  Still, I may yet find a Connection, even though it wasn't to be for this week.

Answer 2

We now have a category for Motown artists, currently only 8 and we have room for more!

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Motown_Artists

Comments

Levi Stubbs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Stubbs

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Bobby Rogers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Rogers

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Eddie Kendricks - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Kendricks

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Good suggestions. They all have profiles now, but those are just stubs and none is connected.

Answer 3

I added a public domain photo for Bonnie and will work on trying to connect her

Answer 4

I've been trying to connect Mary Wells, who was like the First Lady of Motown: Mary Esther Wells (1943-1992) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Her mother seems to have married several times and I'm finding it difficult to verify her exact LNAB, and Mary's father was unknown even to her. Mary did marry into the Womack clan, so her in-laws included Sam Cook's widow (and interestingly, Don Cornelius of Soul Train!), and if we can get them connected she will be, too.

Comments

Yes! We need Don Cornelius connected so we can get on the sooooul train ...

Answer 5

Teena Marie (Mary Christine Brockhardt) is connected. She was the first white solo artist signed to Motown.

David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks need connecting  and bio work.

I am very certain that this Sam Wilson would marry Johnnie Mae Lewis and become Mary Wilson's father but I can't find a wedding record. Right place, three years early. (I figure they married by 1943 and had Mary right away.)

Comments

I think that R Dean Taylor was the first solo white artist (1964) and Kiki Dee the first woman solo white artist (c1970).

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From Encyclopedia.com:

"

Wilson was born in rural Greenville, Mississippi in 1944. Her father, Sam Wilson, was a butcher, and her mother, Johnnie Mae Wilson, was uneducated and did not work. The two had only recently married. Little was known about Sam Wilson’s background. A drifter, he may have been from New Orleans. He had spent time in jail, but no one knew why."

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Yeah, I was misremembering. :)  Kiki Dee was apparently the first white British artist on Motown in 1970. Chris Clark was the first white female American artist on Motown in 1967. Things I learned Googling trying to figure out why I misremembered the first thing.

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I worked some on Jimmy Ruffin, so David is included in that, but it's TOUGH GOING.

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I have now finished working on trying to expand the family for Levi Stubbs. That is, I hit dead ends absolutely everywhere, what with the records being so poor and inconsistent. I hope someone more seasoned and/or with access to more sources can take up the challenge, because I'm way out of my league there.

Answer 6

Michael Jackson?  Seriously?  Isn't that a bit icky?  

After all we don't publicise Gary Glitter or Jimmy Saville.  And his biography is more of a hagiography than anything else.

Comments

Also, the magazine covers? Copyrighted.

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The problem is that, at first, finding 8 Motown stars who would fulfil the criteria (dead, good profile, free-of-rights pic, and the most difficult: connected) seemed like Mission: Impossible.

Now on top of that, if you're asking that they led a life beyond reproach off stage... There was a Rock Legends feature two months ago and I doubt all the people who were profiled then would pass that test. Nah, I know some of them wouldn't.

Not a criticism of you, just a statement of fact: it's going to be extremely difficult.

On a positive note, the best and only way (though not guaranteed) to prevent someone you don't like from being featured is to suggest someone else. So, you can do something about it.

(edited for grammar, error).

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I wasn’t asking for a blameless life. Not many of those about.  Merely suggesting that featuring a paedophile as an EPOW is perhaps not the best look for WikiTree.

That is not a criticism of you, just my opinion.

Answer 7

On my ancestry tree I have the complete genealogy of Michael Jackson including first second and third cousins with original documents etc. I also have Jimi Hendrix family tree as well. Much more detail than the one on wikatree. If anyone wants to look at my trees let me know

Comments

Mary Wilson has genealogy in Gary, Indiana. I think Jimi was already featured in Rock Stars I could be wrong?

Answer 8

I just found a connection for Mary, so we're a go for featuring her next week! So exciting every time this happens :-) It will update over night. I am sure her tree could still use some building out. I just followed every new source I could find, which took me out a way on her mom's line.

Comments

Shoot. False alarm. I'll keep plugging away.

Answer 9

I just copied and pasted some leading names from Motown. Did anyone mention Smokey Robinson (who I love), Stevie Wonder (who I love), Lionel Ritchie (who my sister loves). Oh...and what about Aretha! Let's show some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Perhaps some of these names/groups might round out this theme:

Diana Ross & the Supremes; Marvin Gaye; Martha Reeves & the Vandellas; Gladys Knight & the Pips; Rick James; Teena Marie...and let's not forget Junior Walker and the All Stars, "Shotgun...do the jerk baby...". Etta James, "At last, my love has come along...''

Comments

Aretha was not a  Motown artist. Also, living people will not be featured.

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Berry Gordy, who founded Motown records, knew Aretha Franklin and would refer to her as “part of the Motown Family” in his tribute to her and her many achievements at her death but she was never on the Motown roster.

I was drawing from Berry Gordy's prior comments about Aretha being a member of the Motown family. Too bad she cannot be included.

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Fortunately, many Motown artists are still living.

Unfortunately, that makes it harder to find candidates for this feature.

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Hi Ellen,

I keep forgetting that we only want deceased, no matter what the category. Sorry!

And, yes, fortunately many are still living!

Answer 10

I was driving home from the grocer's on Friday (Feb 12) and Terry Gross was replaying her interview with Mary Wilson on Public Radio. It was fascinating to hear of the 'early' Supremes, their work with Barry Gordy of Motown, how they moved from mini-skirts to ball gowns, their interaction with other members of the Motown family, and so much more. If any Wikitreers are interested, I think the interview might be Googled. It is truly work a listen.