Tour? What Tour?

Mary Wilson is feeling pretty Supreme these days.

Wilson, one of the original members of the Supremes, has been steadily performing classics by the legendary female R&B; singers and other songs since the group (by then without Diana Ross) disbanded in 1977. But the spotlight has been shining more brightly on the singer in the wake of the furor over the doomed Supremes tour that was supposed to reunite Wilson and Cindy Birdsong with Ross.

A dispute among the trio over money and other matters erupted, and Ross went on without her former colleagues, employing two other former Supremes who hadn’t performed with the group during its heyday. The Return to Love tour ended in mid-July, halfway through its schedule, due to low ticket demand. Industry observers said steep ticket prices and the absence of a true reunion kept concert-goers away.

Wilson says that, as fate would have it, the tour’s failure has brought her higher visibility and enthusiastic audience response. She will belt out Supremes tunes, ballads and rock classics during her concert Sunday at the Sunset Junction Street Fair in Silver Lake.

At 56, Wilson remains as glamorous as she was during the glory days of the Supremes. When she’s not on the road, she attends New York University, where she is studying writing, and hopes to earn her bachelor’s degree.

Question: Have you been getting a different reaction from audiences since all this controversy unfolded?

Answer: It’s amazing. I thought I was getting a lot of love before. But lately, it’s been more of an acknowledgment of Mary Wilson. My name was with the Supremes, but me as an individual had no essence. I’ve spent all this time since I disbanded the Supremes in 1977 building my name up so that it can stand on its own as Mary Wilson. With the talk of the reunion, then there not being a reunion, I now have a face with my name. In many ways, it put me on the map.

Q: When the so-called reunion tour failed. . . .

A: It wasn’t even a so-called reunion. It was Return to Love. The reunion did not happen because I wasn’t there and Cindy wasn’t there. This is what I want to tell everyone, concert critics who said the reunion tour failed possibly because of ticket prices or something else. It did not fail. It never happened. People need to understand that. Otherwise, if we’re ever to come back together, everyone would say, “Well, it didn’t work the first time.” Diana would have brought in half the audience, Cindy and I would have brought in the other half. It would not have failed.

Q: Were you ever secretly tempted to check out the concert?

A: In my heart, I’d be silly to say no. I used to see Diana all the time. I love to see Diana. So for me to want to see her was not out of the ordinary. But I knew that I couldn’t, and that I shouldn’t. That would mean that they would have to deal with me, and I would have to deal with them. And it would cause friction. I’m not about friction.

The Saturday before the Democratic convention started, there was a party to pay tribute to President and Mrs. Clinton. Cher performed, Michael Bolton and Diana performed. Afterward, there was a very exclusive dinner, and I was there. I had to go say hi to Diana. It’s the first time we’ve really spoken since all this happened. So now, it’s like she and I have to decide when we’re going to call each other.

Q: Did you discuss what happened?

A. No, no, no. I told her I only came over to say hello, and that we should talk, and she agreed that I should call her. (Laughs heartily.) But that’s fine.

Q: What is the possibility of reconciling?

A: It only takes Diana and I to talk. Period. We really have no problem with each other. We have not had an argument.

Q: Is it something you would want?

A: Of course. I’ve always wanted it.

Q: You’re working on a new record?

A: Yes. I hope to have some product out very soon. It will be more me. People never heard what Mary Wilson is like. They only heard what the Supremes were like. The music I’m doing now is pop R&B.;

Q: What can the audience expect from you Sunday?

A: A lot of Supremes. Then a lot of material that defines who I am as a singer. I do a lot of hard rock, like Tina Turner. There’ll be some Sting, Rolling Stones.

BE THERE

Mary Wilson at the Sunset Junction Street Fair 2000, on the stage at Edgecliff Drive and Sunset Boulevard, Silver Lake. Sunday, 8 p.m. The festival runs Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (323) 661-7771.