![]() ![]() Group complete and with a guitarist, they auditioned at Motown thanks to Diana's neighbor connection to Smokey Robinson. She brought in her best friend Mary Wilson, while Diana came in at the behest of the other half of the Primes. Florence started a sister group with Betty (yes, Betty - she left several years before the Supremes blew up). Living in the projects and in junior high school in the late 50s, she befriended Eddie Kendricks who was in a group called the Primes at the time. The Supremes story begins with Florence Ballard. This set looks at their early years, which had good songs, but still found them flopping. We'll do five rounds of eight songs that look at the different phases of their career. I'll tag again when we start tomorrow, and then tag only the participants. Tagging mostly people who voted for The Supremes/Diana in the countdown. I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking (1976) River Deep, Mountain High (with the Four Tops) (1970) I Second That Emotion (with the Temptations) (1969) I'll Try Something New (with the Temptations) (1969) ![]() I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (with The Temptations) (1968) Love is Like an Itching in My Heart (1966) When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes (1963) I'll start this tomorrow, but if you want to check out anything below before then, here is the list: I've included the songs from this period that made the top 40 in the US or UK. For the label, that meant there was no point to the Supremes. They'd manage a couple top 40 hits after that before disbanding when Mary went solo. ![]() Initially, the new Supremes line-up seemed to outdo Diana, quickly grabbing two top ten hits before Diana could get one. The final third of the Supremes' existence saw Diana go solo and a revolving door in the line-up while Mary Wilson steered the ship as the only original Supreme. The Supremes amassed 12 number ones, which is still the 2nd most for a group behind the Beatles during that period. It proved to be their ticket to stardom, and Diana Ross proved to be an effervescent, captivating presence. It was rejected by practically everyone before getting to the Supremes. The middle arc of their career began with Where Did Our Love Go. They were flops for roughly the first third of their career, known as the "No-Hit Supremes" by their own label and sometimes reduced to handclaps and background for other singers. The Supremes lasted longer than you'd think, roughly 18 years, but it's the middle part of the period, 1964-1969 that we mostly think of when they were at their peak. The blueprint for all modern day black pop stars and girl groups periodTAfter seeing the response to the Supremes in the Ultimate Female Acts countdown, I thought it would be fun to give them their own survivor, and Diana probably deserves one of her own. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |