Mary Frierson, later Mary Cross (1947 – December 16, 2014), better known by her stage name of Wendy Rene, was an American soul singer and songwriter. She recorded for Stax Records in the mid 1960s. Biography Mary Frierson was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was of mixed race and married a Memphis musician who was nearly 20 years his junior; the couple had three sons and one daughter. The family were members of the Church of God in Christ. As a teenager, Mary Frierson formed a singing quartet, the Drapels, with her brother Johnnie Frierson and two friends, Marianne Brittenum and Wilbur Mondie. They auditioned for Stax co-founder Jim Stewart in 1963, and were immediately offered a recording contract. Before leaving, Mary showed Stewart some of the songs she had written, and was also offered a solo contract. While in her teens, she married a military man, but the young couple soon parted ways. She needed a stage name, and several options came up including the name Wendy Storm, suggested by Stax receptionist-turned PR head Deanie Parker. Otis Redding then came up with the name Wendy Rene, which she preferred, and she used that name regularly as a solo artist. Her first solo single, "After Laughter (Comes Tears)", co-written with her brother, was released in August 1964, and became a local hit but failed to make the national R&B chart (the single did, however, reach Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in Oct. 1964). The record featured Booker T. Jones on organ. The song had been recorded by the Drapels, but was released under Wendy Rene's name. The group split up soon afterwards. Her second solo single, "Bar-B-Q", was released in November 1964, to cash in on the popularity of dance craze records. Featuring Steve Cropper on guitar, it failed to reach the charts. However, she continued to record and to tour with Stax stars, including Rufus Thomas and Otis Redding, and to sing backing vocals on their records. In 1967, she married songwriter and Stax employee James Cross. In December of that year, she was scheduled to fly with Redding and the Bar-Kays for what would have been her final live performance for the foreseeable future. A new mother, she backed out at the last minute to stay home with her child. Tragically, the plane crashed in Madison, Wisconsin leaving Redding and six others dead. Wendy Rene