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The Supremes

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   The Supremes
   The Supremes in 1965. Left to right: Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and
   Diana Ross.
   The Supremes in 1965. Left to right: Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and
   Diana Ross.
   Background information
   Also known as The Primettes; Diana Ross & the Supremes
   Origin Detroit, Michigan, USA
   Genre(s) R&B, pop, soul
   Years active 1959 - 1977
   Label(s) Lupine, Motown
   Associated
   acts The Temptations
   Former members
   Diana Ross
   Florence Ballard
   Mary Wilson
   Betty McGlown
   Barbara Martin
   Cindy Birdsong
   Jean Terrell
   Lynda Laurence
   Scherrie Payne
   Susaye Greene

   The Supremes were a very successful Motown all- female singing group
   active from 1959 until 1977, performing at various times doo-wop, pop,
   soul, Broadway showtunes, psychedelia, and disco.

   One of Motown's signature acts, The Supremes were the most successful
   African American musical act of the 1960s, recording twelve American
   number-one hits between 1964 and 1969. Many of these singles were
   written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team,
   Holland-Dozier-Holland. The crossover success of the Supremes during
   the mid-1960s paved the way for future black soul and R&B acts to gain
   mainstream audiences both in the United States and overseas.

   Founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet
   called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson,
   Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public
   housing project in Detroit, were the sister act to The Primes (later
   The Temptations). In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the
   group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes. Martin left at the
   end of 1961, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. After
   they achieved success in the mid-1960s with Ross as the lead singer,
   Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the
   Supremes in 1967, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left
   the group for a successful solo career in 1970, and was replaced by
   Jean Terrell. After 1972, the lineup of the Supremes changed
   frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all
   becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in
   1977.

History

Origins

   In 1958, Florence Ballard—a junior high school student in the Detroit
   housing projects—met and became acquainted with Paul Williams and Eddie
   Kendricks, two members of a Detroit male singing group known as The
   Primes. Since Ballard herself also sang, the Primes' manager Milton
   Jenkins asked Florence in early 1959 to create a sister group called
   The Primettes. Ballard recruited her best friend Mary Wilson, who
   recruited classmate Diane Ross; Jenkins added Paul Williams' girlfriend
   Betty McGlown to complete the lineup. The Primettes soon began
   performing at record hops, social clubs, and talent shows around the
   Detroit area.

   One of the girls' goals was to get signed to the then-new local Motown
   record label. They auditioned a number of times for label head Berry
   Gordy, who turned them down based on his feeling that the girls were
   too young and lacked experience. Undaunted, The Primettes made a single
   for the Lupine label in 1960, "Tears of Sorrow", backed with "Pretty
   Baby", which failed to find an audience. During that same year, McGlown
   left the group to concentrate on her school studies and was replaced by
   Barbara Martin.

   In January 1961, Gordy finally relented and decided to sign the group
   to Motown on the condition that they change their name (the Primes had
   by this time combined with Otis Williams & the Distants and would soon
   sign to Motown as The Temptations). Gordy gave Ballard a list of names
   to choose from; she chose The Supremes, which both Wilson and Ross
   disliked at first, thinking it too masculine. However, Gordy liked it,
   and the name stuck. The Supremes signed with Motown on January 15,
   1961. That fall Martin left to start a family and the group continued
   as a trio.

Success

   Between 1961 and 1963, the Supremes released eight singles, all of
   which missed the US Top 40. Jokingly referred to as the "no-hit
   Supremes" around Motown's " Hitsville U.S.A." offices, the girls tried
   to make up for their lack of a bonafide hit by taking on any chore that
   was available at the studio, including performing hand claps and
   singing backup for Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye and The
   Temptations. During these early years, all three members took turns
   singing lead on various songs—Mary Wilson favoring the ballads,
   Florence Ballard the more soulful and up-tempo songs, and Diane Ross
   the more mainstream pop numbers. Most of their early material was
   written and produced by either Berry Gordy or Smokey Robinson.

   In December 1963, the Supremes finally scored their first US Top 40
   hit, "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", which
   charted at number 23 on the Billboard pop chart. "Lovelight" was the
   first of many Supremes songs written by the Motown songwriting and
   production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. A few months later, Berry
   Gordy made Diane Ross, now going by Diana, the sole lead singer of the
   group, because he felt her higher register would help the group cross
   over to white audiences. Ballard and Wilson were periodically given
   solos on Supremes albums, and Ballard continued to sing her solo
   number, " People", in concert for the next two years.

   In the spring of 1964, the Supremes recorded a single entitled "Where
   Did Our Love Go". The song was originally intended by
   Holland-Dozier-Holland for The Marvelettes, who rejected it. Although
   the Supremes did not like the idea of recording a second-hand song,
   they didn't feel they had a choice, given their track record. In August
   1964, while traveling as a part of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tour,
   "Where Did Our Love Go" reached number one on the US pop charts, much
   to the surprise and delight of the group. It was also their first song
   to reach the UK pop charts, going to number three.

   "Where Did Our Love Go" was followed by four more US number-one hits: "
   Baby Love" (also a number-one hit in the United Kingdom), " Come See
   About Me", " Stop! In the Name of Love", and " Back in My Arms Again".
   "Baby Love" was nominated for the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm &
   Blues Recording, and "Stop! In the Name of Love" was nominated for the
   1966 Grammy for Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance.
   After 1965, the Supremes' singles were less uniformly massive, though
   they still charted in the Top 10 on a regular basis. The combination of
   Holland-Dozier-Holland's songwriting and production, Ross' lead vocals,
   and Wilson and Ballard's background vocals made for a winning
   combination.

Impact

   Unlike their predecessors, the Supremes became the first black female
   performers of the rock era to embrace a more feminine image. Much of
   this was accomplished at the behest of Motown chief Berry Gordy and
   Maxine Powell, who ran Motown's in-house finishing school and Artist
   Development department. Also, unlike many of her contemporaries, Diana
   Ross sang in a thin, calm voice, and her vocal styling was matched by
   having the girls embellish their own femininity instead of imitating
   the qualities of male groups. Instead of the plain appearances and
   basic dance routines, the Supremes' on-stage appearance featured
   high-fashion gowns and wigs, detailed makeup, and graceful choreography
   created by Motown choreographer Cholly Atkins. Gordy wanted the
   Supremes, like all of his performers, to be equally appealing to black
   and white audiences, and he also sought to erase the image of black
   performers as being unrefined or lacking class.

   By 1965, the Supremes were international stars. They toured the globe,
   becoming almost as popular abroad as they were in America. Almost
   immediately after their first number-one hits, they recorded songs for
   motion picture soundtracks, appeared in the 1965 film Beach Ball, and
   endorsed dozens of products, even at one point having their own brand
   of bread. By the end of 1966, their number-one hits also included " I
   Hear a Symphony", " You Can't Hurry Love", and " You Keep Me Hangin'
   On"; and their 1966 album The Supremes A' Go-Go became the first album
   by a female group to peak at number-one on the US album chart.

   Popular with white audiences as well as black audiences, Gordy had the
   Supremes cater to their middle American fan base, grooming them for
   performances at renowned supper clubs such as the Copacabana in New
   York. Broadway and pop standards were incorporated into their
   repertoire alongside their own hit songs. As a result, the Supremes
   were among the first black musical acts to become a complete and
   sustained crossover success. The black rock and roll musicians of the
   1950s saw many of their hit tunes covered by white musicians, with the
   covers achieving more fame and sales success than the originals.
   Partially because of Diana Ross’ pop-friendly voice, The Supremes
   became hugely popular with international mainstream audiences. The
   group broke down many racial barriers, becoming one of the first black
   musical acts to appear regularly on television programs such as The Ed
   Sullivan Show, Hullabaloo, The Hollywood Palace, and The Della Reese
   Show, and achieving the crossover success Berry Gordy had been pushing
   for, paving the way for the mainstream success of labelmates such as
   The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Motown's 1970s pop sensation The
   Jackson 5.

Name and personnel changes

   Personnel problems within the group and within Motown Records' stable
   of performers led to tension among the Supremes. Many of the other
   Motown performers, particularly Martha Reeves of the Vandellas, felt
   that Berry Gordy was lavishing too much attention upon The
   Supremes--and Diana Ross, in particular. A resulting romantic
   relationship between Gordy and Ross further complicated matters,
   creating a divide between Ross and the other Supremes. As Ross became
   the focal point of the group, Florence Ballard began to feel pushed
   aside in the group she had founded. Depression caused Ballard to start
   drinking excessively, and she gained weight until she no longer could
   comfortably wear many of her stage outfits. The friendship, and later
   the working relationship, between Ross and Ballard became strained.
   Although the Supremes scored two number-one hits during the first
   quarter of 1967, " Love is Here and Now You're Gone" and " The
   Happening", the group as a unit began to disintegrate.

   In late 1966, rumors began circulating that Motown would be renaming
   the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, a change which was officially
   announced in early 1967. After learning that Ross would begin receiving
   top billing, a number of the lead singers of other Motown acts demanded
   the same treatment. The Miracles had become Smokey Robinson & the
   Miracles two years prior, the fall of 1967 saw Martha and The Vandellas
   become Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, and later that same year David
   Ruffin unsuccessfully lobbied to have the Temptations renamed as David
   Ruffin & the Temptations. Although Gordy maintained that the name
   change was done so that Motown could demand more money for live
   bookings (because they would be providing two acts – a lead singer and
   a group – instead of just one), the name change sparked rumors of a
   possible Ross solo career, and helped to tear the group completely
   apart.

   By 1967, Ballard would sometimes arrive at shows too inebriated to
   perform, or not show at all. Occasionally during live shows in early
   1967, she would be replaced by Marlene Barrow of Motown's in house
   backing group, The Andantes. In April 1967, Gordy contacted Cindy
   Birdsong, a member of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles who superficially
   resembled Ballard, and began plans to bring her in as Ballard's
   replacement. Birdsong and Ballard alternated performance dates for the
   next few months, as Birdsong was still committed to the Blue-Belles
   through the end of June. Birdsong's first appearance with The Supremes
   was an April 29, 1967 engagement at the Hollywood Bowl.

   June 28, 1967 marked the group's first appearance as Diana Ross & the
   Supremes at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. After the first show,
   Ballard was permanently fired from the Supremes, and Birdsong
   officially assumed her place during the second show. A month later,
   Motown released " Reflections", a number-two US Billboard hit single,
   which was the first single to feature the new group name. Diana Ross &
   the Supremes: Greatest Hits, a number-one album in both the US and the
   UK, became the first album to do so that August.

   Florence Ballard's release from Motown was made final on February 22,
   1968, with Ballard receiving a one-time payment of $139,804.94 in
   royalties and earnings. Attempting a solo career with ABC Records,
   Ballard's two 1968 singles failed to chart and her solo album was
   shelved. In 1971, Ballard sued Motown for $8.7 million, claiming that
   Gordy and Diana Ross had conspired to force her out of the group; the
   judge ruled in favour of Motown. Ballard eventually sank into poverty
   and died on February 22, 1976 at the age of thirty-two.

Decline

   Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in late 1967 after a dispute with
   the label over royalties and profit sharing, and the quality of
   Motown's output (and Diana Ross & the Supremes' records in particular)
   began to falter. From the release of "Reflections" in 1967 to the
   release of "The Weight" in 1969, only six out of the eleven released
   singles reached the Top 20, and only one of those, 1968's " Love
   Child", made it to number-one. Because of the tension within the group
   and stringent touring schedules, neither Mary Wilson nor Cindy Birdsong
   appear on many of these singles; they were replaced on these recordings
   by session singers such as The Andantes.

   The changes within the group and their decreasing sales were signs of
   changes within the music industry. The gospel-based soul of female
   performers like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight of The Pips had
   eclipsed the Supremes' pop-based sound, which had by now evolved to
   include more middle-of-the-road material. In a cultural climate now
   influenced more than ever by countercultural movements such as the
   Black Panther Party, the Supremes found themselves attacked for not
   being "black enough", and lost ground in the black music market as a
   result.

   In mid-1968, Motown began a number of high-profile collaborations for
   the Supremes with their old colleagues, The Temptations. Besides the
   fact that both groups had come up together, the pairings also made
   financial sense, since the Supremes had a mostly white fanbase, and the
   Temptations a mostly black fanbase. Among the joint projects were two
   studio LPs ( Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations, featuring
   the number-two hit single " I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", and Together),
   a joint tour, and two NBC television specials, TCB (aired December 9,
   1968) and G.I.T. on Broadway (aired November 12, 1969).

Exit Diana Ross

   By 1969, Motown had begun plans for a Diana Ross solo career. A number
   of candidates, most notably Syreeta Wright, were considered to replace
   Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes. After seeing 24-year-old Jean
   Terrell performing with her brother Ernie in Florida, Berry Gordy
   decided that she would be Ross' replacement. Terrell was signed to
   Motown and began recording the first post-Ross Supremes songs with
   Wilson and Birdsong during the day, while Wilson and Birdsong toured
   with Ross at night.

   At the same time, Diana Ross began making her first solo recordings.
   One of them, " Someday We'll Be Together", was set to be her first solo
   single; Gordy instead had the song released as the final Diana Ross &
   the Supremes single. In November 1969, Ross' solo career was officially
   announced. The next month, "Someday We'll Be Together" hit number-one
   on the American pop charts, becoming not only the Supremes' final
   number-one hit, but also the final number-one hit of the 1960s.

The "New Supremes"

   Diana Ross & the Supremes gave their final performance together on
   January 14, 1970 at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas; a live recording
   of the performance was released later that year in a double-LP box set
   entitled Farewell. After the Frontier Hotel performance, Ross
   officially began her career as a solo performer. Over the next twelve
   years, Ross would record six number-one Billboard pop hits on her own,
   among them songs like " Touch Me in the Morning", " Love Hangover", and
   " Upside Down". In addition, Motown successfully helped Ross break into
   acting, featuring her as the star of three Motown-produced feature
   films: Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, and The Wiz.

   As Ross prepared her debut solo album, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and
   Cindy Birdsong continued working with Jean Terrell on the first
   post-Ross Supremes album, Right On. The Terrell-led Supremes –known
   unofficially at first as "The New Supremes," and in later years
   informally called the "70's Supremes" – had a few hits of their own,
   including the US and UK Top Twenty hits " 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. Each of these
   three singles were also R&B Top Ten hits, with "Stoned Love" going to
   number-one on the R&B charts. Songwriting/production team Nickolas
   Ashford & Valerie Simpson produced another Top 20 hit for the group, a
   Supremes/ Four Tops duet version of Ike & Tina Turner's " River Deep -
   Mountain High". Many music critics proclaimed the "New Supremes" as a
   "blacker" act than the Ross-led group, if not quite as unique.

   In 1972, The Supremes had their last Top 20 hit single release, "Floy
   Joy", written and produced by Smokey Robinson. Motown, by then moving
   from Detroit to Los Angeles to break into motion pictures, put only
   limited effort into promoting The Supremes' new material, and their
   popularity and sales began to wane. Cindy Birdsong left the group in
   April 1972, after recording the Floy Joy album, to start a family; her
   replacement was Lynda Laurence, a former member of Stevie Wonder's
   backup group, Wonderlove. Successful producer Jimmy Webb was brought in
   to produce the group's next LP, The Supremes Produced and Arranged by
   Jimmy Webb, but the album and its only single "I Guess I'll Miss the
   Man" failed to make an impact on the Billboard pop chart, with "I Guess
   I'll Miss the Man" charting at number 85. In late 1973, Laurence
   prevailed upon her old mentor Stevie Wonder to write and produce a hit
   for the Supremes, but the resulting "Bad Weather" peaked at number 87
   on the US pop charts and number 37 in the UK. At this time, Jean
   Terrell decided to leave the group and was replaced by Scherrie Payne,
   sister of Invictus Records recording artist Freda Payne. Almost
   immediately afterward, Laurence left for the same reason as Birdsong –
   to start a family – and, ironically, was replaced by Birdsong.

   Between the departures of Terrell and Laurence in 1973 and the first
   Scherrie Payne-lead Supremes single, "He's My Man", in 1975, Motown was
   slow in producing contracts for Payne and the returning Birdsong.
   However, in time, Wilson, Payne, and Birdsong continued to record and
   perform with little success, although "He's My Man", from the album The
   Supremes reached number-one on the US disco chart in 1975. In 1976,
   Birdsong, dissatisfied with the management of the Supremes (handled at
   the time by Mary Wilson's then-husband Pedro Ferrer), left again and
   was replaced by Susaye Greene, another former member of Wonderlove.
   This final version of the Supremes released two albums, High Energy and
   Mary, Scherrie & Susaye, both of which reunited the Supremes with
   Holland-Dozier-Holland. During that same year, the Supremes released
   "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking", their final Top 40 hit. 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.

   After their disbanding and announcements that all three members
   (particularly Wilson) would begin solo careers, there were soon rumors
   that Payne and Greene had auditioned several candidates for Wilson's
   replacement, including Joyce Vincent Wilson, formerly of Tony Orlando
   and Dawn. In 1979, Wilson had her first solo album, Mary Wilson,
   released by Motown, which included a single entitled "Red Hot". That
   same year, Payne and Greene released an album entitled Partners under
   the names "Scherrie & Susaye". Scherrie Payne released a single titled
   "Fly"; the single's b-side, "When I Looked At Your Face", was recorded
   for the Jodi Foster film Moi Fleur Bleu.

Epilogue

Works inspired by The Supremes

   Several fictional works show notable inspiration from the story of the
   Supremes. The 1976 feature film Sparkle, starring Irene Cara, features
   the story of a Supremes-like singing trio called "Sister & the Sisters"
   from Harlem, New York. The film's songs and score were composed by soul
   musician Curtis Mayfield. A remake of Sparkle, to have been produced by
   Whitney Houston's BrownHouse Productions, was in development in the
   early 2000s, with R&B singer Aaliyah in the lead, but was shelved after
   Aaliyah died in 2001. As recently as 2003, the Sparkle remake was
   announced as being in development for Disney Channel star Raven-Symoné.

   On December 20, 1981, the Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls opened
   at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway and ran for 1522 performances. The
   musical was loosely based on the history of the Supremes, following the
   story of The Dreams, an all-girl singing trio from Chicago who become
   music superstars. Several of the characters in the play are analogues
   of real-life Supremes/Motown counterparts, with the focus of the story
   centering upon the Florence Ballard doppelgänger, Effie White. Mary
   Wilson loved the musical, but Diana Ross was reportedly angered by it
   and refused to see it. A motion picture adaptation of Dreamgirls will
   be released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures on December
   25, 2006. The feature-film version of Dreamgirls, containing more overt
   homages to Motown and The Supremes, was written and directed by Bill
   Condon, and stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny
   Glover, Jennifer Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose.

   Two of the Supremes have written autobiographies. Mary Wilson's
   autobiography Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme was published in 1986,
   and in 1990, she published the follow-up Supreme Faith: Someday We'll
   Be Together. In January 2000, the two books were released together as
   Dreamgirl & Supreme Faith: My Life as a Supreme, and included an
   afterword; Dreamgirl remains one of the best-selling rock-and-roll
   books of all time. Diana Ross had her own autobiography, Secrets of a
   Sparrow: Memoirs, published in 1993. Unlike Wilson's books, her book
   received poor reviews and disappointing sales.

Awards and followers

   Although the Supremes were twice nominated for a Grammy Award – for
   Best Rhythm & Blues Recording ("Baby Love", 1965) and Best Contemporary
   Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance ("Stop! In the Name of Love", 1966)
   – they never won an award in competition. Three of their songs – "Where
   Did Our Love Go" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (both 1999) and "Stop! In
   the Name of Love" ( 2001) – have been named to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
   They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988,
   received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and entered into
   the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. In addition, the Supremes songs
   "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are among The
   Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The
   black girl groups that have succeeded them in popular music, including
   The Three Degrees, The Emotions, The Pointer Sisters, En Vogue, TLC,
   and Destiny's Child, have shown the influence that the Supremes and
   Motown had during the 1960s. The Supremes were inducted into The Vocal
   Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reunions

   Fan interest made the idea of a Supremes reunion tour a very profitable
   one during the 1980s. Diana Ross briefly reunited with Mary Wilson and
   Cindy Birdsong to perform "Someday We'll Be Together" on the Motown 25:
   Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, broadcast on NBC on May
   16, 1983. During the performance, Ross pushed Wilson away from her, and
   later pulled the microphone from Wilson's face while she was inviting
   Berry Gordy, sitting in the theatre balcony, to come down and join
   everyone onstage. Although these altercations were deleted from the
   broadcast edit of the special, they were widely reported in the media.

   In 1986, Jean Terrell, Scherrie Payne, and Lynda Laurence began touring
   the US, Europe and Japan as FLOS: Former Ladies of the Supremes.
   Terrell, Laurence, and Scherrie Payne recorded a cover of "Stoned Love"
   for British producer Ian Levine in 1989. When Terrell decided to quit
   to return to the family business, in 1992, new member Sundray Tucker
   stepped in and the trio continued performing and recording. Their first
   release was an album for the U.S. based Altair label titled Supreme
   Voices, which was recorded in the U.S. for producer Rick Gianatos. The
   ladies then hooked up with British producer Steve Weaver, which
   resulted in the album Supremely Yours on the Reflections label.
   Supremely Yours included a cover of The Supremes' 1971 single "Touch".
   FLOS then embarked on the project of re-recording virtually all of the
   Supremes' hits, and these tracks appear on numerous "greatest hits"
   compilations, billed as being by the Supremes, around the world. Payne
   and Laurence continue to tour under the FLOS name with third member
   Freddi Poole, who joined the group in 1996. FLOS celebrated their
   twentieth anniversary in 2006.

   In 2000, plans were made for Ross to join Wilson and Birdsong for a
   planned Diana Ross & the Supremes: Return to Love tour. However, Wilson
   and Birdsong both passed on the idea, because, while the promoters
   offered Ross $15 million to perform, Wilson was offered $3 million and
   Birdsong less than $1 million . Eventually, the Return to Love tour
   went on as scheduled, but with Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence
   joining Ross, although neither of them were in the group at the same
   time as Ross. The public and music critics were disappointed by both
   this and the shows' high ticket prices, and, after playing only half of
   the dates on the itinerary, the tour was canceled.

Personnel

     * Florence Ballard (1959 - 1967)
     * Mary Wilson (1959 - 1977)
     * Diana Ross (1959 - 1970)
     * Betty McGlown (1959 - 1960)
     * Barbara Martin (1960 - 1961)
     * Cindy Birdsong (1967 - 1972, 1973 - 1976)
     * Jean Terrell (1970 - 1973)
     * Lynda Laurence (1972 - 1973)
     * Scherrie Payne (1973 - 1977)
     * Susaye Greene (1976 - 1977)

Discography

US and UK top ten albums

   Nine of the Supremes' albums, listed below, made it to the Top 10
   Albums chart in either the US or the UK:
     * 1964: Where Did Our Love Go (US #2)
     * 1965: More Hits by the Supremes (US #6)
     * 1965: Merry Christmas (US #6)
     * 1966: I Hear a Symphony (US #8)
     * 1966: The Supremes A' Go-Go (US #1)
     * 1967: The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (US #6)
     * 1967: Diana Ross & the Supremes Greatest Hits (US #1, UK #1)
     * 1968: Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations (US #2)
     * 1968: TCB (with The Temptations) (US #2)

Filmography

     * The T.A.M.I. Show (1965) (documentary)
     * Beach Ball (1965)

Television work

     * Tarzan (TV show episode "The Convert", January 12, 1968)
     * TCB (1968, with The Temptations)
     * G.I.T. on Broadway (1969, with The Temptations)
     * The Smokey Robinson Show (1970, with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
       and The Temptations)

   Video clips from the Supremes' performances on The Ed Sullivan Show
   appear on the DVD releases Ed Sullivan Classics: The Supremes and
   Temptations and Ed Sullivan Classics: Soul of the Motorcity. Due for
   release in December 2006 is the group's first full length DVD, entitled
   Reflections: The Definitive Performances (1964-1969).
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Supremes"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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