The Supremes were not an overnight success story, although it might have seemed that way when they began topping the charts with sure-fire regularity. The trio that would become famous as the Supremes -- Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard -- met in the late '50s in Detroit's Brewster housing project. Originally known as the Primettes, they were a quartet (Barbara Martin was the fourth member) when they made their first single for the Lupine label in 1960. By the time they debuted for Motown in 1961, they had been renamed the Supremes; Barbara Martin reduced them to a trio when she left after their first single.The Supremes' first Motown recordings were much more girl group-oriented than their later hits. Additionally, not all of them featured Diana Ross on lead vocals; Flo Ballard, considered to have as good or better a voice, also sang lead. Through a lengthy series of flops, Berry Gordy remained confident that the group would eventually prove to be one of Motown's biggest. By the time they finally did get their first Top 40 hit, "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," in late 1963, Ross had taken over the lead singing for good.Ross was not the most talented female singer at Motown; Martha Reeves and Gladys Knight in particular had superior talents. What she did have, however, was the most purely pop appeal. Gordy's patience and attention paid off in mid-1964, when "Where Did Our Love Go" went to number one. Written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, it established the prototype for their run of five consecutive number-one hits in 1964-1965 (also including "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Come See About Me," and "Back in My Arms Again"). Ross' cooing vocals would front the Supremes' decorative backup vocals, put over on television and live performance with highly stylized choreography and visual style. Holland-Dozier-Holland would write and produce all of the Supremes' hits through the end of 1967.Not all of the Supremes' singles went to number one after 1965, but they usually did awfully well, and were written and produced with enough variety (but enough of a characteric sound) to ensure continual interest. The chart-topping (and uncharacteristically tough) "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the best of their mid-period hits. Behind the scenes, there were some problems brewing, although these only came to light long after the event. Other Motown stars (most notably Martha Reeves) resented what they perceived as the inordinate attention lavished upon Ross by Gordy, at the expense of other artists on the label. The other Supremes themselves felt increasingly pushed to the background. In mid-1967, as a result of what was deemed increasingly unprofessional behavior, Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong (from Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles). Ballard become one of rock's greatest tragedies, eventually ending up on welfare, and dying in 1976.After Ballard's exit, the group would be billed as Diana Ross & the Supremes, fueling speculation that Ross was being groomed for a solo career. The Supremes had a big year in 1967, even incorporating some mild psychedelic influences into "Reflections." Holland-Dozier-Holland, however, left Motown around this time, and the quality of the Supremes' records suffered accordingly (as did the Motown organization as a whole). The Supremes were still superstars, but as a unit, they were disintegrating; it's been reported that Wilson and Birdsong didn't even sing on their final hits, a couple of which ("Love Child" and "Someday We'll Be Together") were among their best.
In November 1969, Ross' imminent departure for a solo career was announced, although she played a few more dates with them, the last in Las Vegas in January 1970. Jean Terrell replaced Ross, and the group continued through 1977, with some more personnel changes (although Mary Wilson was always involved).FLORENCE BALLARDFlorence "Flo" Ballard was born and grew up in Detroit in the Brewster-Douglas public housing project for minories, where Diana Ross and Mary Wilson also grew up. The three childhood friends began singing together as the group The Primettes in 1959. The group became known as The Supremes in 1964 when Motown Record president Berry Gordy signed them up, with Flo as the lead singer and Diana and Mary as backups. During the heady times, Diana became the lead singer and Flo, known for her humorous ad libbing, became the backup. But late in 1967, Flo was fired from The Supremes for her increased drinking and problems during recordings. Cut off from the group and Motown Records, Flo attempted a solo career but got few bookings. She filed a lawsuit against Mowtown in 1971 for conspiracy to oust her from the Supremes and for failure to accurately report the group's earnings, which disbanded in 1969, but the case was dismissed. Flo moved back to Detroit and begain raising her three daughters on welfare until 1974 where former Supreme Mary Wilson flew her back to Los Angeles for a comback career, but continued to drown her sorrows with pills and alcholic beverages. Flo Ballard died in 1976 when her heart suddenly stopped beating from her long-term depression and effects of her alcholism.Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, helped garner an unequaled record of Number One Hits by a Female Group. Recording for Motown, Mary guided The Supremes into rock 'n roll history, turning her group into one of the three icons of the 1960's, alongside Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Mary has never stopped developing new projects and touring the world entertaining her fans. She has excelled in theatrical endeavors, such as the year-long Canadian tour of "Beehive", a play centered on a female musical group. Other theatrical experiences include her Off-Broadway debut in "Grandma Sylvia's Funeral" in New York City, and "Mother Hubbard". Mary has done a great deal of charity work, raising millions for AIDS through the People with AIDS Coalition of Tucson (PACT). She has also raised funds for homeless people, cancer research and victims of child abuse. Mary performs continually with orchestras, symphonies, and her own touring band. She has written two books: "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme" (1986) and "Supreme Faith: Someday We'll be Together" (1990). "Dreamgirl" remains the best-selling rock and roll autobiography ever published.DIANA ROSSBest known as the the lead singer of the popular 1960s singing group The Supremes, Diana Ross was born as Diane Ernestine Earle Ross on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan, the second of six children born to Fred and Ernestine. After being raised in housing projects for most of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Diana started singing in the gospel choir of a Baptist church. With friends Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Barbara Martin, she formed a vocal group, The Primettes, at age 15. After Barbara had departed the group, the remaining three girls inked a deal with Motown Records and were renamed The Supremes. Ross wasn't picked to become the group's lead singer until Motown honcho Berry Gordy decided that the time was exactly right, and from then on he described the group as "Diana Ross and the Supremes." From 1965 to 1969 the group had a string of #1 records. In late 1969 Gordy announced that Ross would be leaving the group for a solo career. In the third week of 1970 she played her last concert with The Supremes and started working with the songwriting team of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Ross' first two songs by the team reached #1 on both the pop and R&B charts, justifying her move. Prior to starting a family of her own, she won the title role in the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which was extremely successful at the box office, and had the distinction of being nominated for an Academy Award for her first film. The movie's soundtrack reached #1 on the U.S. charts. Despite fame and fortune, her next two big films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978/I), didn't meet with the same success. However, she had a #1 hit single with "Mahogany" to make up for it. In February 1976, just before another #1 hit with "Love Hangover," she was stunned when her singing partner and friend, Florence Ballard, died after complications from a combination of alcohol abuse and long-term depression, which led to cardiac arrest. Ballard was only 32 years old and Ross was devastated by the loss
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