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Mary Wells was undoubtedly the first true female soul superstar. Not only did she bring glitz, glamour and a glorious voice to Motown, she broke down the barrier between the pop and R&B worlds. Her unerring desire for freedom in the industry paved the way for the likes of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to pursue their dreams without restraint. She was a young lady of many firsts – she was the first female solo artist on Motown to have a top 40 pop hit, a top 10 R&B entry, an R&B No.1 and be nominated for a grammy. Starting her budding career at the age of 17 with designs on being a songwriter for her idol Jackie Wilson, she approached Motown owner Berry Gordy Jnr with her song Bye, Bye, Baby. Hearing her voice, he signed the songstress on the spot and the rest, as they say, is history. She went on to have a successful, albeit short, relationship with Motown scoring hits with Bye, Bye, Baby, I Don’t Want To Take A Chance, You Beat Me To The Punch, The One Who Really Loves You and Two Lovers. Working closely with Smokey Robinson, together they help define the sound the Motown label is known and loved for until she put her foot down over a royalties dispute and left. This collection features all her Motown singles alongside selected tracks from her two albums put out during these formative years.
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