Music legend meets young idols
Gateshead College students with Mary Wilson of The Supremes
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Motown legend Mary Wilson met with budding performers and artists on Tyneside this week.
The former Supremes singer is in the region to promote the launch of a glittering new exhibition at the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead called The Story of The Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection.
Mary met performing arts students at Gateshead College where she answered their questions and talked about her experiences as one of the first acts signed to the Motown label.
One of the students said:
“Meeting Mary Wilson was an opportunity of a lifetime. She is one of the greatest artists of all time and she’s a real inspiration.
“Mary was younger than me when she started out and we learned a lot about what it was like trying to establish herself as a musician at such a young age with a new style of music in the 1950s.”
Mary was at Gateshead College’s Baltic Campus to meet the performing arts students, who are all working towards careers in either production or performing.
Mary said:
“It was an absolute delight to meet such ambitious young people and to talk to them about my experiences in the music business.
“I’m sure many of the students will go on to successful careers in music, dance and theatre and I hope that they enjoy their journey as much as I have.
“They have some great facilities at Gateshead College, such as the impressive recording studios and fantastic theatre, it is an ideal environment to train towards a career in the entertainment industry.”
Mary was a founding member of The Supremes, a group which formed in 1959 and shot to fame in the 1960s. The group went on to enjoy 18 years in the business, including three years as Diana Ross and the Supremes.
In her solo years she has toured internationally starring in several theatre productions and musicals. The exhibition at the Shipley Art Gallery is part of a European tour of over 50 sets of gowns worn by the Supremes. The exhibition is on display from 24 October 2009 until 24 January 2010.