On this day in 1964, Detroit songwriter turned vocal performer Mary Wells gave Motown its first number one hit when “My Guy” reached the top of the charts. Wells suffered from spinal meningitis as a child, and in her final years she battled larynx cancer. In 1991, she testified before a Congressional Committee to support funding for cancer research. She passed away from the disease in July 1992.
In her Congressional address she said: “I’m here today to urge you to keep the faith. I can’t cheer you on with all my voice, but I can encourage, and I pray to motivate you with all my heart and soul and whispers.”
Sallie Royston of Natchitoches, Louisiana made this Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt in 1939. This hand appliqued, pieced and quilted beauty was one of the last quilts that Royston made before her death in 1940 due to throat cancer. Her great granddaughter inherited the quilt and documented it in 2002 during the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt.
Source:
http://www.cmgww.com/music/wells/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mary-wells-gives-motown-records-its-first-1-hit-with-quotmy-guyquot
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org
I love all the information you provide, I have learned a lot. I am from Costa Rica and in love with quilting but this artistic craft is not part of our heritage, so I am always looking for more information that allows me to learn not just to use fashion fabrics but I want the history behind the whole process of quilting and your blog is a gret resource for that. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Maria!! Glad you found our blog and hope you’ll visit the Quilt Alliance website, our Youtube channel and The Quilt Index site for more history and inspiration!