Mary Wilson says 'it's up to' Diana Ross for a Supremes reunion

The group is celebrating 60 years since signing with Motown Records.

January 19, 2021, 11:41 AM

The Supremes are about to celebrate a major milestone, marking their 60th anniversary on Jan. 21 -- the day they were signed by Motown Records as The Primettes in 1961.

Mary Wilson spoke to The Hollywood Reporter regarding the big anniversary and reflected on the possibility of reuniting with her former group members Cindy Birdsong, Jean Terrell and, of course, Diana Ross.

Wilson and Ross are the only two founding members still alive.

"Everyone has been saying that since the '60s, you know, we should [reunite], ‘cause that’s what groups are doing these days, they're getting back together," the 76-year-old vocalist said.

The Supremes singing in concert, from left to right, Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson, circa 1965.
Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

Wilson said there was a reunion attempt in 2000 but "the negotiations fell through when they came to me and they didn’t want to pay me properly as being one of the founding members," which resulted in later members Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence signing on for the 30-date Return to Love reunion tour with Ross.

Ross had never performed with Payne or Laurence as part of the group, as she had already embarked on her solo career by the time they joined The Supremes.

"It wasn’t a reunion," Wilson said of the tour, which didn't include her.

As for whether or not a Supremes reunion will happen in the near future, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer confessed, "It’s really up to Diana. I don't think she wants to do that."

"So therefore I'm going on with my life," Wilson continued. "I look at it like this, especially with this pandemic: Who knows when the end may come. And at 76 and-a-half-years old, I'm not going to sit around waiting for something."

The "Dancing With the Stars" alum attested that she isn't losing sleep over it because "I have too much to live for now and be happy about."