Motown Great Mary Wilson of the Supremes Headlines at Spencer Theater 5/30

The unforgettable Motown chartreuse Mary Wilson showers the Spencer with her supreme energy and musical power on Sunday, May 30 at 8 p.m. She'll be joined on stage with her awesome band of instrumentalists (guitars, piano, keyboards, bass guitar, drums/percussion) and backup vocalists at the one-night-only concert. Excellent seats are available for $79 & $76. Call the Spencer Box Office at 575.336.4800 or go online to www.spencertheater.com for tickets and information.
The stylish vocalist known for her vibrant ballads -- the only singer with the original Supremes to endure throughout the group's two-decade life-span at the top of the charts -- will be singing classic Supreme hits like Stop In the Name of Love, Baby Love, Someday We'll Be Together and Come See About Me, as well as rhythm & blues, easy rock and jazz favorites like Fields of Gold, You Are So Beautiful. Good Lovin', Hero and Walk The Line.

Wilson's concert, which kicks off the Spencer's Summer Season 2010, is sponsored in part by Bruce & Lynn Morgan and Steve Carter.

The Supremes were the most popular female harmony trio in history and the second most successful group of the 60s, after the Beatles. They first shot to super-stardom when they enjoyed five No.1 singles in succession from 1964-65, four additional mega-hits in 1967, chart toppers in 1968 and 1969 and some popular tunes in the late ‘70s with the coming of disco.
The Supremes' upbeat, harmonic unity and glamorous style fueled their incredible crossover appeal, which helped break down racial barriers for other black performers. Wilson, using her many gorgeous Supreme gowns, just recently highlighted how their exquisite fashion impacted social issues in the United States during the height of the country's racial unrest. Her collection of 50 gowns were recently exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and at additional museums in the U.K. and Europe before being returned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Wilson is credited with not only protecting the group's legacy (through the Truth in Music legislation) but also with keeping the trio's songs booming in concerts around the world. In addition to her solo concert career and various TV and screen acting ventures, her most successful post-Supremes venture has been "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme" -- an autobiography outlining the tumultuous inner workings of the group; response to the book kept Wilson on the national best-seller list for several months, and it would eventually prove to be one of the most successful music biographies in history. A second volume, "Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together" was published in 1990. Wilson released two singles in the second half of the 1990s, but live performance continues to be her primary endeavor.

A Little More Background

Reared in a Detroit project, Wilson had early ambitions to be a professional singer, a dream that became realized at the young age of 15. Together with fellow schoolmates Florence Ballard and Diana Ross, she was recruited by Milton Jenkins to sing as The Primettes, the backup female counterpart to his all male doo-wop group, The Primes (which later became The Temptations). The Primettes set about establishing a name for themselves by recording a release and in performances at local clubs, "sock hops", and talent competitions. At the start of 1961 the group was finally added to the Motown label by Barry Gordy --- but with the condition that they call themselves something other than The Primettes. They became The Supremes, a name suggested by Ballard, and their dramatic rise up the charts, starting with Where Did Our Love Go? launched their place in American musical history.

SPENCER THEATER'S SOLID GOLD SUMMER 2010 Continues:

• SWAN LAKE Ruidoso Dance Ensemble. Sat Jun 5 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. ($25) Tchaikovsky's classic story of love and heartache performed by 60+ outstanding dancers of all ages.

• THE ELEPHANT MAN, Wayland University Theatre Fri Jun 18 at 8 p.m. ($ 25) Tony winning drama about a deformed young man and his newfound hope for a more dignified life.

• TASTE OF THE SPENCER BENEFIT, Sat Jun 19 at 6 p.m. ($50) featuring Doug Montgomery at the piano (concert sponsored by Myrl Good) and Steve Talbot, celebrity auctioneer with resort destinations in Bali, Tuscany and Yucatan up for live bidding; free food tastings & wine; fun fun fun. Silent auction, too.

• 3 REDNECK TENORS Sat Jun 26 at 8 p.m. ($49& $46) A uproariously funny musical romp with the tunes of Elvis to Puccini, starring classically trained opera singers with redneck roots.

• HERMAN'S HERMITS starring Peter Noone Fri Jul 2 at 8 p.m. ($79 & $76) British ‘60's pop sensations: I'm Into Something Good, Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter, I'm Henry VIII.

• KING ARTHUR'S QUEST • Missoula Children's Theatre Fri Jul 9 at 7 p.m. ($15 adults, $7) Free acting workshop for youth culminating in full musical show. Auditions open to all children ages 6 to 17 at the Spencer, 9 a.m. Monday, July 5. Rehearsal schedules will be issued following auditions and casting.

Sponsored in part by Ruidoso Ford Lincoln Mercury.

• CHARO, Flamenco Guitar Fri Jul 16 at 8 p.m. ($79& $76) Full of "cuchi-cuchi," the Spanish-American gold & platinum Flamenco guitar recording artist, singer, comedienne, stage and screen actress in a concert of sultry rhythms.

• Johnny Cash's THE TENNESSEE THREE Fri Jul 23 at 8 p.m. ($59 & $56) The man in black's all-time band with Cash-like vocals and heartfelt delivery: Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and I Walk The Line.

• Chamber Music Festival in Ruidoso, Jul 30 & Jul 31
2010 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Fri Jul 30:at 6 p.m. Fabulous Festival Fling, a gala fundraising party, $30 •

Concert: Jasper String Quartet at 8 p.m., $49 adults; $25 ages 18 and under.
Sat, Jul 31:10 a.m. Jasper String Quartet at 10; FREE for children. Tickets required. • Pre-Concert Talk, Mezzanine at 1 p.m.;

2 p.m. Concert: Ray Chen, Violinist, $49 adults; $25 ages 18 and under

8 p.m. Concert: Mariangela Vacatello, Pianist, $49 adults; $25 ages 18 & under

• THE TURTLES starring FLO & EDDIE Sat Aug 7 at 8 p.m. ($79 & $76) Comical singing duo Flo & Eddie of the hit ‘60's folk rock pop group, The Turtles, perform their hits Happy Together, Elenor, It Ain't Me Babe, Grim Reaper of Love in the Sky

• ROY CLARK Sat Aug at 2 p.m. ($59 & $56)& 8 ($69 & $66) Walton Stations of New Mexico presents this multi-award winning banjo & guitar artist, country singer, "Hee-Ha" and Grand Ole Opry entertainer. When I Was Young, , Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go), Rose Colored Glasses, Alabama Jubilee, Malaguena,

• SPENCER LOBSTERFEST FUND RAISER Sat Aug 21 at 6 p.m. ($100) All-you-can eat whole lobster or tails (your choice) and fixings! Cash bars. Snazzy jazz, light rock, blues and soul music at this scrumptious affair!

• NEARLY NEIL AND THE SOLITARY BAND Sat, Aug 28 at 8 p.m. ($69 & $66). Singing the sequin-adorned star's mega-hits like Sweet Caroline, Holly Holly, Red, Red Wine, Kentucky Woman, I Got The Feelin' (Oh No No), September Morn, Cherry Cherry.

• RAY PRICE Tues, Aug 31 at 6:30 p.m. & 9 p.m. ($ 69 & $66). Legendary western crooner with the 4/4 beat has award-winning hit recordings that go back decades: Your Cheatin' Heart to Stardust, Danny Boy and Good Times to How Great Thou Art, Crazy Arms, Release Me, You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me, City Lights and San Antonio Rose. Sponsored by the R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation.

WAYS TO ORDER/ BUY Summer Season 2010 Tickets

GO TO THE BOX OFFICE: at the theater at108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, NM. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872.

ON THE WEB: www.spencertheater.com. The site offers secure ticket ordering.

BY FAX: series and single tickets can be ordered by fax at (575) 336-0055.

BY E-MAIL: single tickets may be ordered at boxoffice@spencertheater.com.

Summer Season 2010 is sponsored in part by The Hugh Bancroft Jr. Foundation, The Lodge at Sierra Blanca, the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Sierra Blanca Motors, Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation, Ventanas, The Enjoyment of Fine Southwestern Living, Rainmakers, New Mexico Magazine, Ruidoso.net, area radio stations KRUI-1490 AM NEWS TALK TOURISM & KIDX 101.5 FM, KNMB-96.7 FM, KTUM 107.1 FM, KBIM-94.9 FM, 910 AM Roswell, KWES 93.5 FM, KBUY 1360 AM and KWES 1450 AM Fox Sports; KEDU 102.3 FM, and the publicity support of Ruidoso News and Ruidoso Free Press.

Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer's celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year.