New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Mary Wilson's daughter, Turkessa Babich, kicked off the Tribute to Mary Wilson at the Grammy Museum L.A. Live on March 4. The room was filled with friends from the world of Motown (Stevie Wonder, Janie Bradford, Claudette Robinson, Brian & Eddie Holland,
William "
Mickey" Stevenson, Karla and Iris Gordy) Politics (Congresswoman Maxine Waters), TV (Marla Gibbs, Anna
Maria Horsford), Film (Judy Pace, Beverly Todd) ,
Music (Brenda Russell) and Broadway (Eloise Laws).
The Tribute was available on March 6, Mary Wilson's Birthday.
Special Video tributes from her celebrity friends: Christie Brinkley, Rita Coolidge, Loretta Devine, Bubba Knight, Four Tops, Temptations, Tamron Hall,
Linda Greene, Ruth Pointer/ Pointer Sisters, and Dionne Warwick.
For those who were not aware of Mary's numerous philanthropic and political activities, the message from the Humpty Dumpty Institute's Dr. Al Khalafalla talked about her work as a spokesperson for the HDI
Institute including Mary's trips to Sri Lanka and Laos to bring awareness to their landmine clearance program. Pat Harrison, former Assistant Secretary of
State for Educational and Cultural Affairs spoke of Mary as the Cultural Ambassador representing the U.S. travelling around the world for more than 5 years and accepting more assignments than any other artist. Majority Whip
James E. Clyburn talked about her tireless work in passing the
Music Modernization Act.
Special letters were sent from Berry Gordy, Founder of Motown; Bill Wyman/Rolling Stones; and Michelle, Lisa and
Nicole (Florence Ballard's daughters) and more.
Mary Wilson earned her place in music history. She was the only original member of The Supremes in every incarnation of the groundbreaking group from beginning to end (1961 to 1977) but her story didn't end when The Supremes did. Wilson, the world-renowned performer, was an advocate for social and economic challenges in the U.S. and abroad and used her fame and flair to promote diverse humanitarian efforts including ending hunger, raising HIV/AIDS awareness, and encouraging world peace. October 11, 2018, The
Music Modernization Act was passed. Mary played a key role in explaining its importance to members of Congress and how it directly affected artists. She was always fighting for artist rights and was seated in the Senate chambers when it unanimously passed. She continued making music, performing to adoring fans around the world, wrote several best-selling books, and continued to protect artist rights and promote the legacy of the Supremes.
