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WELLS FARAGO
I have enjoyed Dave Sallis’ series on early Motown collectables (RC373/4) and I agree with him that so many under-appreciated acts languished in the shadows while too much attention was focused on Diana Ross etc. In this spirit, I am astonished that he has not mentioned Mary Wells. Her sexy, breathy voice was one of the most distinctive voices of all and, with the help of some great Smokey Robinson songs, she was the one who ‘broke’ Motown to the wider world with My Guy. That particular song became so familiar that it obscured the many other great sides she cut for the label, like You Beat Me To The Punch and the exquisite Two Lovers. And the LP she made with Marvin Gaye is one of the best of the Motown ‘duet’ albums.
She had personal and money problems all her life and died of throat cancer when she was only 49. She deserves to be better remembered: there isn’t even a definitive compilation currently in print.
by Jeff Maggs
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