Musical innovators and trends and stylings and important beginnings can sometimes be a bit difficult to pinpoint during times of artistic change, no doubt about it. It's a task taken on by scholars and thinkers and music mavens who want to sort out where sounds took root.
But it is clear to any ear that's heard "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Baby Love" that The Supremes were one of the most influential acts in the whole record business. The trio's bevy of number ones helped, along with other artists of the time, shape that melodic Motown sound, a sound that still influences the tunemakers of today.
Fans can return to the early '60s, when Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Florence Ballard first got the world singing to the songs we all know, at The Grammy Museum. A new exhibit "featuring rare artifacts from the premiere Motown records act" will open on Thursday, June 25, and the museum is launching the major show with a major visit: Mary Wilson will call upon the downtown institution for a chat on June 24.
Several items owned by Ms. Wilson will appear in the exhibit, including rare photographs from her collection. Look also for those iconic glittery costumes The Supremes made famous, including the "Turquoise Freeze" gowns the trio donned for a 1967 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
"The Mary Wilson 'Supreme' gown collection is a dream come true for me," shared Ms. Wilson. "The collection is a gift that I give to all of those who have ever loved music and glamour. As you look upon these wonderful treasures, please be reminded that three little black girls dared to dream, and made their dreams come true. Thank you, Motown, and the thousands of fans all over the world."
Concert posters, memorabilia, tour items, and more fabulous finds can be found alongside the sparkly dresses in the museum's third-floor gallery space during the exhibit's nearly year-long run.
And the dates of the exhibit? June 25 through spring 2016. Are you already humming "You Can't Hurry Love" or one of the other lasting tunes sung so sweetly by The Supremes, melodies still fresh and fun a half century later?
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You can't hurry love, nooo, you just have to wait...
