Supreme Faith begins in 1970. Barry Gordy has long been paving the way for his lover, Diana Ross, to shed the Supremes and claim her solo stardom. But what happens next wasn’t what Gordy and Ross had planned. While Ross has only one Top-10 hit in the next four years, the Supremes (now with Jean Terrell) see hit after hit climb the charts, with songs like “Up the Ladder To the Roof” and “Stoned Love.” But then Gordy turns his attention to making movies instead of records, and all the Motown artists – such as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and even the Jackson Five – find their instant success no longer so instant as the unstoppable Motown hit machine grinds to a halt. The record company does nothing to help the Supremes develop a new, more contemporary style, stops promoting their albums to radio stations, and when there is a hit, does nothing to keep the momentum going. Since Motown won’t do it, Mary tries to keep the group going herself, but as each new member learns the truth about Motown, she ends up presiding over a revolving door of singers.
Mary’s private life is both wonderful and tumultuous. She has memorable romances with Flip Wilson, Steve McQueen, and Duke Fakir of the Four Tops. Then she falls deeply in love with and marries Pedro Ferrer. Pedro has the strength Mary needs to keep fighting on behalf of the Supremes – and the strength to become a wifebeater. At the nadir of her life, the Supremes are forced to appear at an oldies show at Madison Square Garden and are booed off the stage when they present new material. Days later, Pedro throws a glass at Mary, ripping away her ear.
Mary gets away from Motown, divorces Pedro, and launches her solo career, only to find both her ex-husband and the record company dogging her every step. Always in the shadows is the percliar Miss Ross, whose erratic behavior, sudden phone calls, and alternately hot and cold treatment of Mary – a friend of twenty years – baffle everyone. The climax to all this occurs at the Supremes’ reunion during Motown’s silver anniversary special, when Diana, tired of Mary and Cindy Birdsong keeping pace with her stage movements, shoves Mary aside.
Now Mary Wilson is a free woman, successful working mother, and a best selling author who does just what she loves best – singing and performing. SUPREME FAITH is the vibrant and extraordinary story of a woman surviving against impossible odds and achieving, ultimately, the triumph of a lifetime. It is a book that explores, as no other has before, the screaming roller coaster of fame, and it is a book that will open your eyes to the truth about what being a star in the entertainment business is like today.
