Originally Posted by
RanRan79
I don't know how well "Walking" would have done with another voice. Susaye, brilliant vocalist that she is, doesn't quite set the song on fire the way Scherrie does.
That being said, I've mentioned before that the Supremes were more than just a group of singers, it was a brand that was trademarked by the original trio. Diana's voice was obviously a big part of that. Replacing her, Jean made perfect sense because she embodied a lot of the qualities Diana had without sounding like a knockoff or wanna be. Had Gladys Knight replaced Diana, fantastic vocalist that she is, I don't think the Supremes would have started off as hot as they did because the drastic change from Diana to Gladys would have been too stark. I used that example before, along with the one about Levi going solo from the Tops and being replaced with Billy Griffin. It just wouldn't have worked for most fans, probably.
When Jean left, I do think it would have made sense to find a singer with that type of voice, but again not someone trying to be Jean or Diana, just someone who has those qualities: the light, melodic voice that could sing anything. That would be to keep the group on brand. Scherrie was not on brand, fantastic as she was. So as sole lead singer, I don't think she was enough to bring the fans back. It still wouldn't have felt like the Supremes.
Really the only resemblance between the Scherrie Supremes and the incarnations before it, was Mary. Lol Maybe if Mary had talked Motown into letting The Supremes morph into Supreme, the changes would have been easier for the public to accept because it would be like a brand new group. But again, none of this really matters if the material isn't landing.