Song of the Day 2/9: Mary Wilson, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”

Mary Wilson, the Supreme who stuck it out until the end, died yesterday at 76. In the group’s early days, all three Supremes took turns singing lead. Wilson’s deeper, grittier voice lent itself to soul numbers, but it didn’t fit the band’s Holland-Dozier-Hollard material particularly well, so she didn’t feature on any of their run of big hits.

But the group’s stage show featured more than just the big hits, and Wilson did get her showcase in this 1969 appearance on the Hollywood Palace TV variety show when the Supremes hosted. Her star turn comes at the 3:23 mark.

Once Ross departed the band, Wilson took a larger role. She sang lead on this 1972 track, a Top Ten hit in th UK.

If you were following music in 1964, you’ll remember than the Supremes, even more than other Motown acts, were considered a clean-cut alternative to the British invasion, a point emphasized by host Tony Randall on this 1965 episode of Hollywood Palace. (In case you don’t remember it — I didn’t — Hollywood Palace was ABC’s answer to the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS, except it ran on Saturday nights, when nobody was home watching.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aax5EDQMOq4

I particularly like this Ed Sullivan appearance. Did you know that the Supremes’ outfits were so iconic they went on a world tour without the Supremes?