Hattiesburg is home to a former member of The Poppies, a ‘60s girl group that made hit records. Her name is Rosemary Woullard, but in 1966, she was Rosemary Taylor and along with Lanier High School classmate Dorothy Moore, and Jim Hill High student Petsye McCune, these three young women blazed the trail of harmonic sounds combining doo-wop, gospel, and R&B.
Rosemary, Dorothy, and Petsye started singing backup vocals for Irma Thomas and others at Jackson-based Malaco records, an independent record company home to other famous artists such as Z.Z. Hill and Bobby Bland. Before too long, the women were so good, they named themselves The Poppies and made a record together in Memphis. All three ladies enrolled at Jackson State University and started touring all over Mississippi, including Hattiesburg, and with large crowds wanting to see them, they began singing around the country. Their first and only album had a hit called “Lullaby of Love,” reaching No. 56 on the U.S. pop charts. While Motown had The Supremes, Malaco had The Poppies, who had a second hit on the album, “He’s Ready,” a shiny, upbeat love song produced by Billy Sherill at Epic Records. The group’s popularity rose fast, and they quickly assembled matching outfits, practiced synchronized dance moves, and rehearsed tirelessly to excite and entertain enthusiastic concertgoers.
Rosemary Taylor rubbed shoulders with many R&B and Soul stars of the 1960s, including Billy Stewart and William Bell. By happenstance, Rosemary and her group were in the recording studio and sang background vocals for the huge crossover hit, “Mr. Big Stuff,” sung by Jean Knight, a song that reached No. 2 on the Billboard chart. When you hear that riff, “Oh yeah, who do you think you are,” that’s Rosemary and the other Poppies telling Mr. Big Stuff he will never get their love.
The Poppies’ 1966 record ended up with four singles, all of which were played around the world, from the UK to Australia. Unfortunately, the work and travel were exhausting and far from lucrative. Petsye left the group for California, and Dorothy Moore started a successful solo career which peaked with her million selling 1976 hit, “Misty Blue.”
Rosemary continued her education, found love, and married Joseph Woullard, another talented musician from Mississippi. He entered the military, and the couple had children, including a son, Hattiesburg High graduate Joseph Woullard, who is a member of the world-renowned blues and funk band Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears.
Rosemary sits right in front of me in church choir every Sunday morning. She smiles and sings like an angel. She’s too humble to talk about her days of stardom, being on the road, and hanging out with famous people. But as far as I’m concerned, she is Ms. Big Stuff in my book.
Clark Hicks is a lawyer who lives in Hattiesburg. His email is clark@hicksattorneys.com.
