Berry Gordy wanted The Supremes to look & sound more like a white pop group which is why he ended up making Diana Ross the lead singer instead of a bigger & more soulful Florence Ballard.
What made "The Supremes" unique was that Diana Ross did not sound like your typical black female singer. Her high lilting voice and soft delivery was in stark contrast to her contemporaries like Gladys Knight, Aretha Frnaklin, Patti Labelle, Tina Turner, and Martha Reeves. This was the "crossover" factor that made them so big with white audiences along with an enormously successful strings of hit singles making them the biggest female group of the 1960's.
Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, and Martha Reeves could sing Diana Ross under the table. Etta James' "At last" is what president Obama and first lady Michelle Obama danced to at his inauguration. Berry Gordy sold his soul for a pound of gold. Luckily he had Smokey Robinson to write for the Temptations, and could not take the soulfulness out of those voices. When David Ruffin cut loose, and Eddie Kendricks fell in with that high tenor it as all over but the shouting; Melvin Franklin and Paul and Otis Williams' harmony finished off the mix. Ruffin left but Dennis Edwards kept the soulful sound right on coming; I never cared much for Dianna Ross as a singer she was too bubble gum like for me, but that's what white people like, so Gordy got over on them with that watered down stuff.
Tammi Terrell could have sung the lead beautifully for the Supremes hit (Baby, Baby) Where Did Our Love Go? She and Diana sounded very similar BUT Tammi took tunes into ORBIT unlike Diana.
NO ONE NO ONE!! could EVER copy DIANA ROSS lead with WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO! the mood, lyrics, and sound are Classic! the public agreed on August 22, 1964 the single was #1 in the USA!!
I read in one of the Motown biographys WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO was written for the Marvelettes, but they said "No Way". The Supremes were in town so they got it.
yeah they all wanted cross-over and yes they took it and copied their styles songs and everything and got the credit.... still kinda happening today...
this is not a put down of the Motown sound for I love the music but white musicians were breaking down barriers a decade before by combing the musicianship and structure of country with the feel of the blues it was called rock and roll and lead by progressive artist like elvis, buddy holly, eddie Cochrane, jerry lee lewis etc. berry gordy saw this and seen the money and success it meant for white artist and used that idea towards black performers. and again it's not knocking Motown music which was obviously great but true credit with this idea goes back to white musicians and songwriters who btw wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, well except elvis who only knew about 2-3 cords. the only difference is Motown music took the integrated idea and advanced idea of music and took it into a more pop direction. this is pretty much the fair and objective history of music in the last 60 or so years but unfortunately whites don't get the credit they deserve. be cliché and call me racist lol but the truth is the truth.
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Boy! I love me some Tammi Terrell from Motown! ❤️ What beautiful lady, beautiful talent...so sad how she died at such an early early age....
It's wonderful seeing Etta James! Her singing Al Last is sheer HEAVEN!
Berry Gordy wanted The Supremes to look & sound more like a white pop group which is why he ended up making Diana Ross the lead singer instead of a bigger & more soulful Florence Ballard.
What made "The Supremes" unique was that Diana Ross did not sound like your typical black female singer. Her high lilting voice and soft delivery was in stark contrast to her contemporaries like Gladys Knight, Aretha Frnaklin, Patti Labelle, Tina Turner, and Martha Reeves.
This was the "crossover" factor that made them so big with white audiences along with an enormously successful strings of hit singles making them the biggest female group of the 1960's.
Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, and Martha Reeves could sing Diana Ross under the table. Etta James' "At last" is what president Obama and first lady Michelle Obama danced to at his inauguration. Berry Gordy sold his soul for a pound of gold. Luckily he had Smokey Robinson to write for the Temptations, and could not take the soulfulness out of those voices. When David Ruffin cut loose, and Eddie Kendricks fell in with that high tenor it as all over but the shouting; Melvin Franklin and Paul and Otis Williams' harmony finished off the mix. Ruffin left but Dennis Edwards kept the soulful sound right on coming; I never cared much for Dianna Ross as a singer she was too bubble gum like for me, but that's what white people like, so Gordy got over on them with that watered down stuff.
My days in the 50's 60's 70's Motown, Chess, Philly Int, Stax/Volt man it was so good. later
love etta james r.i.p
Tammi Terrell could have sung the lead beautifully for the Supremes hit (Baby, Baby) Where Did Our Love Go? She and Diana sounded very similar BUT Tammi took tunes into ORBIT unlike Diana.
NO ONE NO ONE!! could EVER copy
DIANA ROSS lead with WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO! the mood, lyrics, and sound are Classic!
the public agreed on August 22, 1964 the single was #1 in the USA!!
HAPPY 92ND BIRTHDAY
MUSIC EXECUTIVE
BERRY GORDY, JR.
(NOVEMBER 28, 2021)
HAPPY 93RD BIRTHDAY
BERRY GORDY JR
(NOVEMBER 28, 2022)
ETTA JAMES! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Teri Garr is one of the dancers who dances in the "Where Did Our Love Go?" number! (sung by the Supremes.)
Mary Wilson is still hott!!
Everytime I see poor Florence, my heart drops. She let her jealousy of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross cost her career and kill her.
I read in one of the Motown biographys WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO was written for the Marvelettes, but they said "No Way". The Supremes were in town so they got it.
the white guy sitting at the piano said "there are more white people then black people" no there were more white people with money.
Still today the population of United States thats black its about 15%.
MICOLOCO actually it's about 17.5%.
WEGOTBARSTV
Ok. I thought it was more like 12%
correction: HDH produced 10 #1 singles for the Original Supremes!
@proverbs1824 I agree. He did say Where Did.... was followed by eight, thats 9...close. The Happening was co-written by Devol, maybe thats the diff
Diana was so CUTE
@nkdillon3 Maybe this was produced in the U.K. where the chart-toppers were different? Otherwise, you're right - how could it be so wrong?
Lol he said “That bitch can sing!”
For the record, the first success for the supremes was When the lovelight starts...produced by HDH in 1963
8 number 1s?? How did the narrator get that so wrong?
yeah they all wanted cross-over and yes they took it and copied their styles songs and everything and got the credit.... still kinda happening today...
dianna ws the supremes don't hate....
this is not a put down of the Motown sound for I love the music but white musicians were breaking down barriers a decade before by combing the musicianship and structure of country with the feel of the blues it was called rock and roll and lead by progressive artist like elvis, buddy holly, eddie Cochrane, jerry lee lewis etc. berry gordy saw this and seen the money and success it meant for white artist and used that idea towards black performers. and again it's not knocking Motown music which was obviously great but true credit with this idea goes back to white musicians and songwriters who btw wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, well except elvis who only knew about 2-3 cords. the only difference is Motown music took the integrated idea and advanced idea of music and took it into a more pop direction. this is pretty much the fair and objective history of music in the last 60 or so years but unfortunately whites don't get the credit they deserve. be cliché and call me racist lol but the truth is the truth.
tim lamb shut up
Black ppl started rock n roll as well
and who is the father of rock n roll? Chuck berry (a black man)