Diana Ross, Mary Willson, Florence Ballard, and other later members of the Supremes.When the Supremes first started out in High School in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 they were originally called The Primettes which was the sister goup of the Primes (which later became The Temptations). When The Primettes fist started out there were four of them Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown. The Primettes sang backround to a lot of famous singers like Smokey Robinson and The Drifters and The Primes before they could separate to be their own group. The Primettes tried to become their own group and they recorded two songs on their own, "Tears of Sorrow" and "Pretty Baby" but the two songs were not popular with the audiences. Betty McGlown got engaged and left the Primettes in 1960 which left Florence, Diana, and Mary as a trio, but The Primettes still wanted a group of four so Barbara Martin joined the group and sang a couple songs with them. Around that time the four of them would hang around Hitsville U.S.A. to get signed into Motown records. The four of them did finally get signed into Motown by Motown's CEO Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy gave Florence a list of ten names to choose from to rename the girl group such as The Darleens", "The Sweet Ps", "The Melodees", "The Royaltones" and "The Jewelettes", but Florence picked The Supremes as the groups new name, but at the time Diana Ross and Mary Wilson did not like the name "Supremes" because they thought it sounded too masculine. The four of them sang together a little in Motown together, but Barabra Martin left to start a family and The Supremes remainded a trio.Between 1961 and 1963, The Supremes recorded and releasd eight singles, and none of the songs charted in the Top 40 positions of the Billboard Hot 100. In the beginning The Supremes were referred as the "no-hit Supremes" around Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. because of the lack of audiences, the group attempted to compensate for their lack of hits by taking on any work available at Motown, including providing hand claps and singing backup for Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye and The Temptations. During the early years, all three members took turns singing lead vocal: Mary Wilson favored soft ballads, while Florence Ballard the soulful, hard-driving songs; and Diana Ross liked more mainstream pop songs. Berry Gordy did believe that Mary's or Diana's leading voice would be better for the group, but continued to let them share leads. Most of their early material was written and produced by Berry Gordy or Smokey Robinson. In December 1963, the single "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.Since The Supremes were struggling to get some top hits Motown's songwriting production team Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote the song "Lovelight" for The Supremes, but it still did not do to much for the audiences. In late 1963, Berry Gordy made Diane Ross, now going by "Diana", the official lead singer of The Supremes, as he felt her voice's distinctive nasal quality and looks would help the group appeal more to white audiences. Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson were periodically given solos on Supremes albums, and Ballard continued to sing her solo number, "People", in concert for the next two years.Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote the song "Where Did Our Love Go" for The Marvelettes, but The Marvelettes rejected the song because they did not like the sound of it. So the song was then given to The Supremes which also disliked the song but the producers coerced them into recording it. So in the Spring of 1964 The Supremes rocorded the single "Where Did Our Love Go". Later in August of 1964, while The Supremes toured as part of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, "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 appear on the UK pop charts, where it reached number three, which made the song The Supremes first big break.The Supremes did not just stop with "Where Did Our Love Go" as a number-one hit because in about a year they followed with four more US number-ones "Baby Love" (which was also a number-one hit in the UK), "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", and "Back in My Arms Again". The song "Baby Love" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1965, and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was awarded the Grammy for Best Pop single in 1966.By the time of 1965, The Supremes were international stars. They toured the world, becoming almost as popular in other countries as they were in the US. Almost immediately after their initial number-one hits, they recorded songs for motion picture soundtracks, like the 1965 film Beach Ball, and endorsed dozens of products, at one point The Supremes had their own brand of bread. By the end of 1966, their number-one hits included "I Hear a Symphony", "You Can't Hurry Love" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Also in 1966 the group released The Supremes A' Go-Go, which became the first album by an all-female group to reach number one on the US Billboard 200.Now that The Supremes were popular with all audiences white and black, Berry Gordy had the group cater to its middle American fan base by grooming the women 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 became one of the first black musical acts to achieve complete and sustained crossover success. Black rock and roll musicians of the 1950s had seen many of their original hit tunes covered by white musicians, with these covers usually achieving more fame and sales success than the originals. The Supremes' success, however, counteracted this trend. Featuring three group members who were marketed for their individual personalities (a move unprecedented at the time) and Diana Ross’s pop-friendly voice, The Supremes broke down racial barriers with rock and roll songs underpinned by R&B stylings. The group became extremely popular both domestically and abroad, becoming one of the first black musical acts to appear regularly on television programs such as Hullabaloo, The Hollywood Palace, The Della Reese Show, and, most notably, The Ed Sullivan Show, on which they made 17 appearances.The Supremes were starting to feel tension among them, even Motown records was having problems with some of their groups about The Supremes. Many of the other Motown performers, particularly Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas, felt that Berry Gordy was lavishing too much attention upon The Supremes and upon Diana Ross, in particular. A romantic relationship between Gordy and Ross further complicated matters, and created a schism between Ross and the other Supremes. As Diana Ross became the focal point of The Supremes, one of the back-up singers Florence Ballard began to feel pushed aside in the group. Depression ensued, and Ballard began to drink excessively, gaining weight until she could no longer comfortably wear many of her stage outfits. The friendship, and later the working relationship, between Ross and Ballard became strained. During this turbulent period, Ballard relied heavily upon the advice of group mate Mary Wilson, with whom she had maintained a close friendship. Wilson, while outwardly demure and neutral in hopes of keeping the group stable, privately advised Ballard that Ross and Gordy were eager to replace Ballard. 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.Rumors began to circulate in late 1966 that Motown intended to rename the group "Diana Ross & The Supremes", a change officially announced in early 1967, after a concert where they were billed as "The Supremes with Diana Ross". Two yers prior The Miracles had already become "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles". The fall of 1967 saw Martha & the Vandellas become "Martha Reeves & the Vandellas". Having learned that Ross would receive top billing, David Ruffin lobbied—unsuccessfully—to have the Temptations renamed as "David Ruffin & the Temptations" which did not work because David did not always sing lead. Although Gordy maintained that the name changes were 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 Supremes' name change sparked rumors of a possible solo career for Diana Ross, and contributed to the professional and personal dismantling of the group.By 1967, Ballard would sometimes fail to show up for recording dates, or would arrive at shows too inebriated to perform. For some early 1967 shows, she was replaced by Marlene Barrow of Motown's in-house backing group, The Andantes. Gordy contacted Cindy Birdsong in April 1967; she was a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and superficially resembled Ballard. Gordy began plans to bring her in as Ballard's replacement. Birdsong appeared at a benefit concert at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 1967, but returned to The Bluebelles soon afterward due to prior commitments. In May, Ballard returned for what she believed was a probationary period. Summer 1967 marked the group's first appearance as Diana Ross & the Supremes at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. After only three days of performances, Ballard was permanently dismissed from The Supremes, and Birdsong officially assumed her place during the second July 1 show.Ballard's release from Motown was made final on February 22, 1968, when she received a one-time payment of $139,804.94 in royalties and earnings. She attempted a solo career with ABC Records, and was forced to formally reject a solo contract offered by Motown as part of her settlement. Ballard's two 1968 singles failed to chart and her solo album was then 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 favor of Motown. Ballard eventually sank into poverty and died abruptly on February 22, 1976 from coronary thrombosis at the age of 32. At the time of her death, she had begun to make financial and personal strides and was planning to reinvigorate her solo career.Sadly Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in early 1968 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 "Reflections" in 1967 to "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. Due to 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 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.In mid-1968, Motown initiated 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 made financial sense: The Supremes had a mostly white fanbase, while The Temptations a mostly black fanbase. By 1969, the label began plans for a Diana Ross solo career. A number of candidates—most notably Syreeta Wright—were considered to replace Ross. After seeing 24-year-old Jean Terrell perform with her brother Ernie, Berry Gordy decided on 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, Ross began to make her first solo recordings. In November 1969, Ross' solo career was publicly announced"Someday We'll Be Together" was recorded with the intent of releasing it as the first solo single for Diana Ross. Desiring a final Supremes number-one record, Gordy instead had the song released as a Diana Ross & The Supremes single, despite the fact that neither Mary Wilson nor Cindy Birdsong sang on the record. "Someday We'll Be Together" hit number one on the American pop charts, becoming not only the Supremes' 12th and final number-one hit, but also the final number-one hit of the 1960s. This single would also mark The Supremes' final television appearance together with Diana Ross, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 21, 1969. Diana Ross & The Supremes made their final appearance altogether on Jan. 14, 1970.