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MEET THE SUPREMES
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"The Supremes are...as a whole, greater than it's parts...the group sounded as top-notch at the end as they did when the hits started."
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DIRECTORY
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THIS IS THE STORY....
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The reincarnation of the Supremes after Diana Ross left was, for me, heaven sent. The early 70's was when I really became involved with music and although the Diana Ross (solo) album was the first album I bought, the 70's Supremes music was my favorite. As I have mentioned, I was a Supremes fan long before I became a Diana Ross follower and a Motown devotee. I was more into the soulful tunes that the 70's Supremes were turning out and the album cuts that gave the Supremes an edge. I also liked the fact that the Supremes was becoming more of a group again. I loved it when Jean Terrell or Scherrie Payne would trade off with Mary Wilson. Or when Mary took over the leads, especially the ballads. I felt they were getting stronger with every album they were releasing. In fact, in my opinion, the last three albums before they permanently disbanded were their best. But the album that was destined to become The 70's Supremes all-time classic was the Jean Terrell-led, 'The Supremes. Written and Produced by Jimmy Webb.' The album was a complete revamping of the Supremes as we knew them. Jimmy Webb who has worked with other big name artists such as the 5th Dimension and Glen Gampbell, took the Supremes to a different level that was beyond soul and beyond pop. It was a radical departure for the Supremes and it showed on the back of the album cover. They were no longer in glamourous gowns but in jeans and instead of posing, they were pictured in the studios...working. The results was a daring album that was so unique that it was destined to fail on the music charts. The public just didn't get it; but the fans did. The Supremes and Diana Ross' careers were falling in and out of each others paths. And in the 70's, that was a treat! Instead of one entity, there were two. Rumors exist about Diana Ross, embarressed by the sporadic, roller-coaster ride of her career, 'ordering' the Supremes to 'cease to exist', and that Barry Gordy pulled the plug on the 70's Supremes because he wanted Diana Ross to succeed. But whether those stories are true or not, for a while, they had reasons to worry. The 70's Supremes were definitely consistent hit-makers on the charts. I use to brag to my best friend at the time (we took sides...he was the Diana Ross fan) on how well the Supremes were doing on the charts. My favorite line back then was, 'Where's Diana Ross?' It was a game. That was before Diana Ross got nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in 'Lady Sings The Blues;' and before the Grammy nominated chart-topping 'Love Hangover.' I eventually went over to the Diana Ross camp . . . her determination, integrity and her willingness to achieve and try for something new, something different was daring. It didn't matter if it was country (Last Time I Saw Him) or blues (Good Morning Heartache); it could be rock n' roll (Fool For Your Love) or soul (Gone); from the dance floor (The Boss) to classic standards (Smile), it was simply Diana Ross. She had no boundaries. If you look to the careers of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and all the other "divas" that are currently on the airwaves . . . you can see the Diana Ross influence. It's there in the material, in the calculations, in the performance. Diana Ross was a fighter and a pioneer. She set the standard in the diversity in music. You didn't have to be confined to a "genre." Oh, and there was one other determining factor I defected to the Diana Ross camp: The 70's Supremes had called it quits. Believe me, it was so hard for me to say good-bye. With the new millennium, an announcement was made that Motown's two biggest influences were going to become one in a once-in-a-lifetime 'Return to Love' tour. Two of the 70's Supremes, Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne, will be joining forces with Diana Ross to create new memories that their fans will cherish. It is not a reunion tour of the original Supremes but a salute to the greatest girl group in music history. However, midway through the tour, it was cancelled. The final bow came amid a near sold out show at the grand Madison Square Garden, in New York. From all accounts, the tour was the best show that Diana Ross ever gave, but the prices of the tickets and the legacy of the original Supremes overcame the Supremes 2000 wonderful performances. They gave the fans what they wanted...the music. But in the end, it was not enough. The memories of the 60's Supremes is too strong and intimate for the public. Even though the 'Return to Love' concert wasn't billed as a reunion, the public voiced their opinion...they wanted the original divas....Diana, Mary and Cindy. But the Supremes 2000 left some wonderful memories for the fans that did attend: Scherrie and Lynda scorching vocals on 'Up the Ladder to the Roof' and 'Stoned Love,' and Diana Ross' elegant rendition of 'Reach Out, I'll Be There.' It wasn't heaven, but it was the next best thing to being there.
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SUPREMES '70 CALENDAR
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February
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March
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| April Back to the Top | |||||||||
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| May
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| June
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2000 14 |
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| July
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| August
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| September
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November
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| December
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| 1968 |
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(according to BILLBOARD'S CHARTS)
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1970
1971
1972
1973 1976
1977
The 70's Supremes Top Selling Hits (Compiled from a list that appeared in the 1998 edition of 'Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits' comparing Diana Ross and The Supremes Top 50 Hits of all time) Complete Listing
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