The Supremes Biography, Photos and Posters

The Supremes

Biography

Started: 1959
City and Country of Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Music Background:
Awards: 1988 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Top Recordings: "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Back in My Arms Again," "I Hear a Symphony," "You Can't Hurry Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Love is Here and Now You're Gone," "The Happening," "Love Child," "Someday We'll Be Together,"
The Supremes Biography: The Supremes were the most successful African-American female musical act of the 60s. The group which started in 1959 in Detroit, Michigan and continued thru 1977 recorded for Berry Gordy's Motown Records. In all the group recorded 12 number 1 hit singles mostly written by Motown's number 1 creative team Holland, Dozier, Holland.

The group started as a quartet known as the Primettes and included Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public housing project in Detroit and were the sister act to the Primes which included future Tempatations Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. After Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960 the group signed with Motown. After Martin left in 1961 the group continued on as a trio.

Milton Jenkins managed a group known as the Primes which included Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, both of whom came to know junior high school student Florence Ballard who also happened to be an aspiring singer. This led to Jenkins forming a sister act to the Primes called the Primettes. The group included Ballard's best friend Mary Wilson and fellow classmate Diane Ross. Jenkins added Williams' girlfriend Betty McGlown. The group soon began appearing at local social events. The group's main objective was to land a Motown recording contract.

Motown founder Berry Gordy agreed to sign the girl group on one condition, that they chage their name. Ballard chose the name Supremes from a list and Gordy liked it even though Ross and Wilson had their reservations, thinking it too masculine. From 1961 to 1963 the girls released 8 singles none of which made the top 40. Finally in December of 1963 they hit the charts with a Holland-Dozier-Holland composition "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," which charted at 23. Until now the group had alternated leads, but Berry felt that Diane's, now known as Diana Ross, higher register would help the group cross over to white audiences by singing lead.

In 1964 the group took a Holland-Dozier-Holland song rejected by the Marvelettes, "Where Did Our Love Go" and rode it to the top of the charts. They soon followed with 4 more number 1 hits "Baby Love," "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", and "Back in My Arms Again." Berry had sought to make the Supremes a class act with Diana singing in a calm unwavering voice while the trio dressed to the nines, in the highest fashions of the day, while moving with simple, but graceful moves created by Motown choreographer Cholly Atkins.

By 1965 the group had achieved international stardom. By the end of 1966 their list of number 1 hits also included: "I Hear a Symphony," "You Can't Hurry Love," and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" while thier album The Supremes A' Go-Go became the first by a female recording group to reach the top of the charts. The group performed at major nightclubs like New York's Copacabana and appeared on television shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, Hullabaloo, The Hollywood Palace, and The Della Reese Show.

A romantic relationship between Ross and Gordy led to strained relationships between Ross and Ballard. This led to Gordy favoring the Supremes over other Motown acts and Ross over the other members of the Supremes. As a result Ballard started drinking and gaining weight which led to her no longer being able to fit into the elaborate outfits worn by the group. Through all of this the group still turned out, 1967, number 1 hits "Love is Here and Now You're Gone" and "The Happening." In 1967 Ross received top billing with the group being renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes. This led to friction among the other acts like Smokey Robinson who was already getting top billing with the Miracles and David Ruffin who lobbied for top billing being fired from The Temptations.

In June of 1967 after the first appearance as Diana Ross & the Supremes at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Florence Ballard was officially fired from the group and replaced by Cindy Birdsong, a member of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles. Birdsong made her first appearance with the group at an April 29, 1967 engagement at the Hollywood Bowl. Ballard received a one time payment of around 140 thousand dollars for her remaining royalties and earnings. She signed on with ABC Records, but none of her recordings charted. She sued Motown and lost.

In 1967 Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in a dispute over royalties. This was around the same time the Supremes seemed to lose their magic touch with only 6 of their next 11 singles reaching the top 20 and "Love Child" reaching the top of the charts. For most of these recordings Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong were replaced by studio session singers. As Bob Dylan had so poignantly said the times they are a changing and the soft sweet melodious tones of the Supremes were being replaced by the more heart-felt sounds of gospel and soul with artists like Aretha Franklin and James Brown rising to the top of the charts. It was 1968 and Gordy sought damage control so he paired the Supremes with the Temptations on a number of collaborations including 2 studio LPs, a joint tour and 2 NBC specials.

In 1969, what had been rumored for some time happened. Diana Ross left the Supremes to embark on her solo career. Her first single was "Someday We'll Be Together," but Gordy insisted that it be released as a Supremes' single. The record went on to become not only the last number 1 single by the Supremes, but also the last number 1 single of the 60s. Ross was replaced by the brother of former heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell, 24 year old Jean Terrell. The new group produced a number of hits during the 70s, but nothing like the original Supremes. There was "Up the Ladder to the Roof" (US #10, UK #6), "Stoned Love" (US #7, UK #3), and "Nathan Jones" (US #16, UK #5), all of which were produced by Frank Wilson. Then there was Supremes/Four Tops duet version of Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep - Mountain High" produced by the songwriting/production team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson. In 1972 the group had its final top 20 hit "Floy Joy" written and produced by former Miracle, Smokey Robinson. On Sunday June 12, 1977, supported by singer/songwriter Billy Ocean, the Supremes performed their farewell concert at the Drury Lane Theatre in London and officially disbanded.

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