[ti:Singer of Rhythm and Blues, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Dies] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]U.S. rhythm and blues singer Mary Wilson has died at the age of 76. [00:08.32]Wilson rose to fame as a member of the female, [00:12.28]three-person singing group The Supremes in the 1960s. [00:17.04]Wilson started The Supremes with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard [00:23.12]while living in Detroit, Michigan in 1959. [00:28.68]The group signed a business deal with local R&B music company [00:34.08]Motown Records two years later. [00:38.40]But they did not have their first popular song until 1964 [00:43.96]with "Where Did Our Love Go." [00:59.36]The Supremes would go on to sing a record 12 number one popular songs, [01:05.16]including "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," [01:09.08]"Stop! In the Name of Love," "I Hear a Symphony," and "You Can't Hurry Love." [01:28.40]Their songs, many television appearances and live performances [01:34.04]made them one of most popular musical groups of the 1960s. [01:39.52]The group helped turn Motown Records [01:43.04]into an important part of American popular culture. [01:48.44]Florence Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967. [01:55.24]Diana Ross left the group in 1969 for a solo career. [02:02.00]But Wilson remained with The Supremes with different singers [02:06.36]until the group officially broke up in 1976. [02:12.16]She remained active for many years as a solo performer, [02:16.80]motivational speaker and U.S. cultural ambassador. [02:22.52]The Supremes members Wilson, Ross and Ballard [02:26.96]were admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. [02:33.32]Her friend and spokesman Jay Schwartz [02:36.48]said Wilson died suddenly Monday [02:39.40]at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. [02:43.24]Motown Records founder Berry Gordy [02:46.12]praised Wilson in a statement. [02:49.52]He said she was "quite a star in her own right" [02:53.48]who worked hard over the years [02:55.68]"to boost the legacy of The Supremes." [02:59.84]"She was a trailblazer, [03:01.60]a diva and will be deeply missed," Gordy said. [03:07.16]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM