It's time for a new hero picture so ladies and gentlemen I give you... Miss Mary Wells.

Mary was only 17 when she saw Berry Gordy in a Detroit nightclub and knowing him to be Jackie Wilson's songwriter, she approached him and said she had written a song which would be perfect for him. A skeptical Gordy made her sing it for him there and then - he was so impressed he got her into the recording studio. Her naturally smooth voice was strained and rough after 22 takes but that suited the rough-house lyrics of BYE BYE BABY and it was a big hit on both the r'n'b and pop charts in 1960. Although not the first woman signed to Motown, her hit records made her the official "First Lady of Motown".

True alchemy happened when she was paired with Smokey Robinson as her composer and producer. He molded a sound and production style for her and soon the hits just flowed: THE ONE WHO REALLY LOVES YOU, YOU BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH, TWO LOVERS, YOUR OLD STANDBY, WHAT'S SO EASY FOR TWO IS SO HARD FOR ONE, ONE BLOCK FROM HEAVEN, YOU LOST THE SWEETEST BOY and of course her biggest hit MY GUY.

1964 has her peak year with the release of MY GUY, her successful duet album with Marvin Gaye and she also toured with The Beatles on their UK tour. However this was also the year she felt she was being cheated by Motown, being tied to a contract she signed when she was 17. Legal wrangles muddied the waters and she eventually left after a payout and moved to 20th Century Records.

The move however stalled her momentum and she then drifted from label to label where initial promise always led to unsuccessful sales and another move. Whatever the label however she always turned in vocals of the highest quality.

A 1990 comeback signed to the UK label Motorcity Records revealed troubles with her vocals and she was diagnosed as having throat cancer, a cruel twist of fate. Treatment ruined her voice and wiped out her money. She was helped by her peers and also won a six-figure sum from Motown over unpaid royalties. Sadly the cancer reappeared and worn down by treatments and allied illnesses, she died at the tragically young age of 49.

Mary's music is alive however and despite occasional Greatest Hits reissues her memory would be best served with a proper multi-disc retrospective of her courageous and groundbreaking career.