Trio Supremes Harmony

I am a huge fan of vocal groups because I love harmony and the Supremes- Florence, Diana and Mary- are among the best to ever do it, IMO. As much as I love the sound of Flo and Mary together, I do think producers often did a disservice by not including Diana on backing vocals. Together, their sound was great. I have opined in the past that had the group never scored a hit record, Gordy may have kept them on in the same role as the Andantes.

Personality and charm wise, I don't think the original trio can be beat, but the sound Mary, Cindy and Scherrie achieved on backing vocals might be the most technically perfect blend of any grouping of Supremes.

So when it comes to THREE Supremes singing in harmony, what's some of your favorites? Any grouping, studio or live.

I love this one, the ladies backing Kim up in 1963.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svOmF3W2TM

Love this live one from the Roostertail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk6WnzyE-t8

Proving that its a prerequisite to be great at harmony in order to be a Supreme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIjBWiWL1FU

i agree with everything you said. the DMF combo was excellent. when they were in 3-part and when their volume levels were appropriately set, it was perfection. listen to Bring It On Home To Me from Sam Cooke. another example that's just incredible is the 2nd time they sing "Spread sunshine all over the place" on the studio version of Put On A Happy Face. the hit "spread" in 3-part harmony with total perfection

the SMC lineup had an amazing blend. one songs like Give Out where the vocal tracks a multi layered, it's so fun. mary described this lineup as the "nicest" one and i think that does a great job of explaining their sound. it was sweet and warm and so very nice

the MSS lineup is the most powerful. mary had really grown as a soloist by this time and that also helped her grow into an even more strong group member. she always shined brightly in the group's harmonies and all but now she was a more trained and powerful singer. and both S and S were super powerful singers too. in the studio, their 3 part harmony just blows out your speakers. the perfectly meshed blend of MSC isn't there - you hear the unique tones and timber of each voice but they're still blending and totally in sync. and you hear 3 super strong beautiful voices.

I particularly enjoy the harmonies of DMF.

Faves of mine:

Lazy Bones
Ooowee Baby
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love [ I love the way they sing the title]
Bring It On Home to Me, and Make Someone Happy from the Copa album.

Great choices here! I'd add "Mr. Blues"; those harmonies are swoon-worthy. Also, I love how DMF & DMC hit the word "trio" in each performance of the Millie/Rose/Mame medley--gorgeous.

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

i agree with everything you said. the DMF combo was excellent. when they were in 3-part and when their volume levels were appropriately set, it was perfection. listen to Bring It On Home To Me from Sam Cooke. another example that's just incredible is the 2nd time they sing "Spread sunshine all over the place" on the studio version of Put On A Happy Face. the hit "spread" in 3-part harmony with total perfection

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Oh yes, "Bring It On Home" is a great example, as is "Happy Face". There are some really beautiful moments from the There's A Place For Us sessions as well, like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuCPK_uZiCM

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Originally Posted by reese

I particularly enjoy the harmonies of DMF.

Faves of mine:

Lazy Bones
Ooowee Baby
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love [ I love the way they sing the title]
Bring It On Home to Me, and Make Someone Happy from the Copa album.

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"Lazy Bones" definitely a fav of mine.

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Originally Posted by sansradio

Great choices here! I'd add "Mr. Blues"; those harmonies are swoon-worthy. Also, I love how DMF & DMC hit the word "trio" in each performance of the Millie/Rose/Mame medley--gorgeous.

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I hardly ever really listen to the MRM medley. I'll have to listen out for the part you spotlight.

"Mr. Blues" is one of my favorite Supremes songs period. Absolutely breathtaking harmonies.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

Oh yes, "Bring It On Home" is a great example, as is "Happy Face". There are some really beautiful moments from the There's A Place For Us sessions as well, like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuCPK_uZiCM

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agreed! but i think it's also a fun album to listen to the evolution of the quality of productions and mastering. the horn intro on Put On A Happy Face is a bit over the top as is the orchestration on the intro to Make Someone Happy. they're just less polished and glorious than the tracks on R&H or from Broadway to Hollywood. even the Xmas backing tracks are an improvement. not saying TAPFU is back - i love it. but clearly the producers and teams were learning and is shows in the later work.

Mary Cindy and Sherrie singing the National Anthem live is a favorite of mine. They were prepared to sing when they were introduced but then they were surprised that they had to sing it acapella because their wonderful, dependable manager, Pedro, didn't have an arrangement prepared. But even under that surprising duress, they gave a flawless performance with beautiful three part harmony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJjXKttI68

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Originally Posted by milven

Mary Cindy and Sherrie singing the National Anthem live is a favorite of mine. They were prepared to sing when they were introduced but then they were surprised that they had to sing it acapella because their wonderful, dependable manager, Pedro, didn't have an arrangement prepared. But even under that surprising duress, they gave a flawless performance with beautiful three part harmony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJjXKttI68

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I didn’t know all the background details leading up to this wonderful performance, but all three voices blend perfectly here displaying natural musical talent..

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Originally Posted by milven

Mary Cindy and Sherrie singing the National Anthem live is a favorite of mine. They were prepared to sing when they were introduced but then they were surprised that they had to sing it acapella because their wonderful, dependable manager, Pedro, didn't have an arrangement prepared. But even under that surprising duress, they gave a flawless performance with beautiful three part harmony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJjXKttI68

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I agree. One of my very favorites. It's stunning and dispels any myths about any one of the three being a greater/lesser singer.

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Originally Posted by milven

Mary Cindy and Sherrie singing the National Anthem live is a favorite of mine. They were prepared to sing when they were introduced but then they were surprised that they had to sing it acapella because their wonderful, dependable manager, Pedro, didn't have an arrangement prepared. But even under that surprising duress, they gave a flawless performance with beautiful three part harmony

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Absolutely brilliant performance. These three had such a great blend. Would've been interesting if Motown had seriously gotten into the instrumental game when Love Unlimited Orchestra and MFSB started having hits, and utilized these three Supremes in the way Love Unlimited and The 3 Degrees were used.

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Originally Posted by thanxal

dispels any myths about any one of the three being a greater/lesser singer.

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Hi! Are you new here?:p

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Originally Posted by milven

Mary Cindy and Sherrie singing the National Anthem live is a favorite of mine. They were prepared to sing when they were introduced but then they were surprised that they had to sing it acapella because their wonderful, dependable manager, Pedro, didn't have an arrangement prepared. But even under that surprising duress, they gave a flawless performance with beautiful three part harmony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJjXKttI68

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Thanks for posting this. I never tire of seeing and hearing it. Supreme evidence of their talent.

I have never heard a better version of the Star Spangled Banner. I've heard half the singes in the pop world tackle this difficult song, but the Supremes take it on this one. That being said, I never heard the Kim Weston song posted above, but that is most def the ladies on backing vocals--they are perfectly clear! No mistaking Flo or especially DR back there

MSC were a wonderful live blend...my favorite...anything with Cindy singing background is much smoother than the other ladies...and I am one for smooth..no one louder, sharper, over ad libing or trying to outshine the others....not bringing up the singles, there is some excellent harmony on CW&P, Liverpool and Sam Cooke....Make Someone Happy and the Mary dominant People are wonderful. TV performances of both Eight Days A Week and You Can't Do That are wonderful moments of the original trio...
JMC did some great live TV work...every live version of I Guess I'll Miss The Man was beautiful.
After a certain point the vocals were too often handicapped by loud, speedy brassy arrangements...too many instruments ...totally unnecessary for the group to present their current singles that could have been performed with a 7 piece combo ...cut the damn brass...and have the synths play some smooth string parts....keyboards of the time were definitely capable of making those singles sound better.....