Mari Wilson

Mari Wilson was the beehived voice behind “Just What I Always Wanted”, the Neasden Queen of Soul who fronted the Wilsations, supported Roxy Music and appeared on Top of the Pops. Then a second album stalled, and she could see where pop stardom was heading: cabaret, built around a medley of her hits. So she turned her back on it and walked away, into jazz clubs, Ronnie Scott’s, the West End stage, and eventually a solo career that has outlasted the pop machine she left behind. Four decades on, Mari joins Jason Barnard to talk about Girl About Town, her first full album of original songs since 2008, written with longtime collaborator Adrian York. They trace that reinvention from Top of the Pops to Ronnie Scott’s, with Mari talking openly about being pigeonholed by the beehive and why she still believes leaving pop at that time was the right call. Further information mariwilson.co.uk Support The Strange Brew Podcasts also available: Judie Tzuke, Kiki Dee, Dave Ball – Soft Cell, Martin Fry – ABC This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms The post Mari Wilson appeared first on The Strange Brew .