Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme

This book was written in 1986, and Mary Wilson wrote an updated version (Dreamgirl and Supreme Faith), which has an afterward copyrighted in 1999. This is an intriguing book, a first person account by Mary, and it can be read almost as a morality tale: the tale of three sisters and the monster (Motown). The three singers all had roots in the same Detroit neighborhood, and were taken on by Berry Gordy's newly formed Motown. According to Mary, Diana seemed to always want to stand out from the other two, and of course, she eventually got her wish. Diana comes through as an egotistical, self-serving person, who, of course, had the talent to back up her swelled head. On the other side of the trio, Florence Ballard is the tragic heroine. According to Mary, although the three started as peers, Flo eventually got exasperated having to fight both Diane and her paramour, Berry Gordy. She turned to alcohol, which depressed her further, and she ended in poverty and an early death. Mary paints herself as the peacemaker and person in the middle. She stands by Flo in her darkest hour, but never follows her path in leaving the group. Mary had various lovers, and she had so many, from Tom Jones to Steve McQueen to some people I'm sure nobody has ever heard of. Mary, in her honesty, has listed most of them in this book. After all those celebrities, she ends up, by the end of the book, marrying someone I had never heard of (he could be well-known). Yes, I grew up listening to the Supremes, and I danced to their songs and I popped my fingers to their steady tempos like everyone else in those days. Today, their music makes me sick, but hey, times have changed. I think Mary has shown, in this book, that she can adapt and change, whereas Flo could not. Flo had talent, but she maybe didn't have the type of personality to keep coping year after year in the face of quick fame followed by quick decline. As for Diana, well, no matter how talented she was, wouldn't it be nice if she could be just a little humble? No? "Blessed are the humble in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Okay, nobody wants to go to Heaven (until they die, of course), but everybody wants to be "important" while still here on Earth. Diane got her wish, she was, and to a lesser extent, she still is, "important." But Mary wrote the book. Diximus.

Okay, I'm late getting this read. It did come out several years ago. But it's a fascinating look at the early years of the Supremes: how the girls met, their lives in the projects, how they were discovered, and their rise to fame. Most startling is the way Diana Ross acted: grabbing the spotlight, working covertly behind the scenes to advance her own career at the expense of others, and turning a blind eye to the terrible treatment of Florence Ballard by Motown Records. While writer Mary Wilson is, for the most part, even-handed, and the anecdotes she tells ring true, one longs for that autobiography Florence Ballard never wrote. It seemed she should have been the lead singer of the Supremes. Listening to their music (not just the popular hits), one can see that she had a voice superior to Diana Ross's. The most interesting part of the book was the Motown tour in the early 1960s, the fun and innocence of the singers and musicians involved. Many would become very famous later. A sad element is how Motown seemed to really rake in the profits and keep their artists in the dark. Yet Mary Wilson talks glowingly of Berry Gordy. Nice photos and a juicy slice of early 1960s rock music!

As a child, I listened to the radio all the time and of course, in the '60s, the Supremes dominated much of the airwaves. I loved their music, but really knew little about them. This book educated me, and no, I do not think it was a "Diana Ross Bashing Book". I believe Mary told the truth. We were just outsiders looking in; Mary was there.

I have read this book, "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme." I enjoyed the book very much and plan on reading it may times over. The Supremes, in and of themselves is an interesting part of the Entertainment world. What was their life like? How well did they get along with one another? All of this and more will be answered in Mary Wilson's book. Many people call it a "Diana Ross bashing" book. I didn't feel as though it was. I didn't get the feeling that Mary hated or despised Diana, but merely that there were things in the Supremes past that is a bit tarnished. Several times did she make mention of how proud she was of Diana and the success she has had. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to relive and exciting piece of history.