Question: The Go Go's Were the First Female Group to...............

[marv2]

I just heard about 5 mins. ago, Bryant Gumbel say on CNN's Eighties Documentary that the Go Go's were the first female group to have a number one album. They showed a picture of the Supremes just before saying this. Is this true or did I miss something?

[lockhartgary]

There's this:
http://www.colorlines.com/articles/tbt-supremes-become-first-all-woman-group-top-billboard-200

Found by doing a Google search since the Go Gos sounded suspect.

Perhaps they meant during the '80s?

[skooldem1]

I had always read that they were the first female Band to have a number one album. They played instruments.

[marv2]

There's this:
http://www.colorlines.com/articles/tbt-supremes-become-first-all-woman-group-top-billboard-200

Found by doing a Google search since the Go Gos sounded suspect.

Perhaps they meant during the '80s?

Thanks Lockhartgary. He distinctively said "they were the first female group to have an album top the charts....".

[Jimi LaLumia]

on the Billboard Music Awards they said the first female group to sing, write and play their own songs to go to #1.. so this moron on CNN messed it up and should be corrected.. Supremes was indeed a 'group' that was female AND First!

[soulster]

I had always read that they were the first female Band to have a number one album. They played instruments. That is very possible. But, the mistake was that they wrote all of their own songs. That isn't entirely true.

[soulster]

on the Billboard Music Awards they said the first female group to sing, write and play their own songs to go to #1.. so this moron on CNN messed it up and should be corrected.. Supremes was indeed a 'group' that was female AND First!

First of all, Bryant Gumbel isn't a moron. Most of the time, these news people read scripts written by other people. So, the researches and/or writers are the morons.

Second, they are talking about ALBUMS, not songs or singles. So, in that vase, the Supremes did not make the cut.

Third, there were self-contained female bands [[they played their own instruments) in the 60s. There were bands that were led by females in the 70s, like Heart and A Taste Of Honey.

Remember that they were talking about the 80s. What pissed me off is that no one ever discussed Black female bands like Klymaxx. Perhaps they did include Klymaxx, but they had a limited amount of time, and they wanted to stick to the well-known artists.

Oh well, what are ya gonna do? I know Ralph is gonna be pissed at me again for this, but it's a fact: it's a mass media that is always viewed from the White male, and rock perspective.

[marv2]

on the Billboard Music Awards they said the first female group to sing, write and play their own songs to go to #1.. so this moron on CNN messed it up and should be corrected.. Supremes was indeed a 'group' that was female AND First!

I agree Jimi. I believe the further and further we get away from Motown's heyday along with the Supremes accomplishments we will see more misinformation put out there.

[marv2]

First of all, Bryant Gumbel isn't a moron. Most of the time, these news people read scripts written by other people. So, the researches and/or writers are the morons.

Second, they are talking about ALBUMS, not songs or singles. So, in that vase, the Supremes did not make the cut.

Third, there were self-contained female bands [[they played their own instruments) in the 60s. There were bands that were led by females in the 70s, like Heart and A Taste Of Honey.

Remember that they were talking about the 80s. What pissed me off is that no one ever discussed Black female bands like Klymaxx. Oh well, what are ya gonna do? It's a mass media that is always viewed from the White male, and rock perspective.

Bryant Gumbel is or was a Supremes fan. He's said so while interviewing both Mary Wilson and Diana Ross. He may have just not remembered they were first to have a number one album. I don't know.....

[marv2]

That is very possible. But, the mistake was that they wrote all of their own songs. That isn't entirely true.

They did not write all of their songs. They had help from outside artists.

[Jaap]

This sounds more like an editorial mix-up between album name and group -- Supremes A Go Go and the Go Go's.

[Jimi LaLumia]

The Supremes were a FEMALE group who had ALBUMS go to #1 on the BILLBOARD chart!.. there is no mistake , they made the cut in that vase, as well as running up 12 #1 singles. something no U.S. group, male or female, black or white, instrument playing or not, can claim.. and The Supremes had MORE #1 albums than The Go Go's did..

[marv2]

The Supremes were a FEMALE group who had ALBUMS go to #1 on the BILLBOARD chart!.. there is no mistake , they made the cut in that vase, as well as running up 12 #1 singles. something no U.S. group, male or female, black or white, instrument playing or not, can claim.. and The Supremes had MORE #1 albums than The Go Go's did..

Time and younger journalists that weren't even around are trying to negate that fact. Watch, you'll see more of it.

[detmotownguy]

Marv you are prob right; it is sad.

[soulster]

Bryant Gumbel is or was a Supremes fan. He's said so while interviewing both Mary Wilson and Diana Ross. He may have just not remembered they were first to have a number one album. I don't know.....

Again, he was reading a script that was written for him. I'm sure that somewhere in his mind, he remembered "Supremes-A-Go-Go".

[soulster]

They did not write all of their songs. They had help from outside artists.
Technically, only two songs on that album were co-written with other artists. but, they did write the rest of the songs.

But, contrast that with the Supremes. they didn't write any of their songs, nor did they play any instruments.

[soulster]

The Supremes were a FEMALE group who had ALBUMS go to #1 on the BILLBOARD chart!.. there is no mistake , they made the cut in that vase, as well as running up 12 #1 singles. something no U.S. group, male or female, black or white, instrument playing or not, can claim.. and The Supremes had MORE #1 albums than The Go Go's did..

No, i'm almost 100% certain they had only one #1 album each.

If I had to pick a favorite, i'd pick the Bangles.

[soulster]

Time and younger journalists that weren't even around are trying to negate that fact. Watch, you'll see more of it. True. As time rolls on, you're going to see a lot more of it. These days, you have people in journalism who weren't even around in the 80s! Hell, except for casual mentions of Motown and Donna Summer, R&B has almost all but been erased from the history books!

[marv2]

True. As time rolls on, you're going to see a lot more of it. These days, you have people in journalism who weren't even around in the 80s! Hell, R&B has almost all but been written out of the history books!

If you checked out the 2016 Billboard Awards, R&B has all but disappeared.

[Jimi LaLumia]

Supremes A Go Go was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1966
the double Lp Supremes Greatest Hits was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1967
the live TV Soundtrack album for "T.C.B." was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1968
.... your turn..

[marv2]

Supremes A Go Go was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1966
the double Lp Supremes Greatest Hits was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1967
the live TV Soundtrack album for "T.C.B." was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1968
.... your turn..

Some of the younger generation like to minimize the accomplishments of artists from the 60s and 70s . I've seen Wendy Williams do this when discussing Rhianna's chart toppers. I saw this when Paul McCartney was barred from Tyga's Post Grammy Party.

[soulster]

Supremes A Go Go was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1966
the double Lp Supremes Greatest Hits was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1967
the live TV Soundtrack album for "T.C.B." was a #1 Billboard Pop Chart album in 1968
.... your turn..
I didn't consider greatest hits albums or ones with The Temptations.

[marv2]

I didn't consider greatest hits albums or ones with The Temptations.

My first thought was the "Where Did Our Love Go?" album as being the first number because it seemed like everyone owned that album back in the day.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

I just watched the special. Yeah, usually there's a lot of qualifiers thrown when they claim something as a record, but now they don't even bother caring about the qualifiers. People hear a factoid and start editing out the details. I remember someone I know saying [[who even knows which massive gun massacre it was now) was the most tragic massive tragedy on American soil and I was like, uhm b****, did you totally forget about September 11th! The qualifier was that it was the worst "shooting" in US history, but people ignore the details and she just skipped to saying it was the highest loss of life in the US, when it was not. 9-11 was. There must've been some qualifiers in saying the Go-Go's were the first female group to have a number 1 album but they just totally skipped past them.

[soulster]

My first thought was the "Where Did Our Love Go?" album as being the first number because it seemed like everyone owned that album back in the day.
Just because a lot of people owned it doesn't mean it was a #1 record. And, a lot of people don't/didn't own #1 records. Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the "Eagles's Greatest Hits", Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", and the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, are all mega-multi-platinum albums, and all went to #1, but a LOT of people never bought or owned them.

[Jimi LaLumia]

I don't care what you consider, I care what Billboard and chart analysts consider..sheesh, now a greatest hits isn't an album..give it up, bud....lol.. and the Where Did album peaked at #2 nationally which was no small feat for Motown at the time, the highest they'd ever gotten an album on the mainstream pop chart at that time..it showed what the possibilities were [[I guess I'm Gonna Make You Love Me doesn't count as a Supremes hit? no, it doesn't count as a Temptations hit as Supremes were the main billed act as was the case with "TCB"..

[Jimi LaLumia]

and if you don't consider 'Great Hits' to be albums, why did you just mention the Eagles hits album? did you give them a 'hall pass' with your all knowing acumen?

[marv2]

Now here's a question. Could there have been any other female groups [[besides the Supremes) that reached number one on the album charts before the Go, Go's did in 1981?

[soulster]

I don't care what you consider, I care what Billboard and chart analysts consider..sheesh, now a greatest hits isn't an album..give it up, bud....lol.. and the Where Did album peaked at #2 nationally which was no small feat for Motown at the time, the highest they'd ever gotten an album on the mainstream pop chart at that time..it showed what the possibilities were [[I guess I'm Gonna Make You Love Me doesn't count as a Supremes hit? no, it doesn't count as a Temptations hit as Supremes were the main billed act as was the case with "TCB"..


and if you don't consider 'Great Hits' to be albums, why did you just mention the Eagles hits album? did you give them a 'hall pass' with your all knowing acumen?
Easy, bro! You misunderstood my use of the word "consider". I meant that I wasn't looking for greatest hits albums or duets. Of course they count!

Man! Supremes fans sure are fervent!

[marybrewster]

What's interesting about the Go-Go's is that their #1 record was their first release.

I can't imagine there have been many girl groups that have achieved a #1 album. Sure, TLC and Destiny's Child, but that with the benefit of music videos, online ordering, and million dollar advertising budgets. I've checked other girl groups, the Emotions, the Pointer Sisters, the Three Degrees, the Bangles; none of them ever reached #1.

Think of what a feat it was for the Supremes to reach #1.

Oh, and for the record, the Supremes DID play instruments; banging those tambourines for Jesus on Sullivan must count for something? ;)

[soulster]

Oh, and for the record, the Supremes DID play instruments; banging those tambourines for Jesus on Sullivan must count for something? ;) Probably not. Anyone can bang a tambourine.

[marybrewster]

"Very Necessary" by Salt 'N Pepa went FIVE TIMES PLATINUM, and still only reached #4 on the Billboard 200.

Wilson Phillips, same thing: platinum x5 and only reached #2.

So, with that said:

Are the Supremes, the Go-Go's, the Spice Girls, TLC and Destiny's Child the ONLY girl-groups to have ever reached #1? I can't think of anyone else?

En Vogue? Nope. SWV? Nope.

I demand "A Go Go" [[Expanded) be released [[physically!) at once! LOL.

[Glenpwood]

Number One Women on the Billboard Albums chart

Pre Rock Era First Female - Dorothy Shay [[1947)

First Female Group & Also First R&B Female Group: The Supremes : A Go Go [[1966)

First R&B Solo Female: Roberta Flack - First Take [[1972). Miss Ross was the second with Lady Sings The Blues
If we used Cashbox instead - the first solo R&B female chart topper would be Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man [[1967). It stalled at #2 in Billboard.

First self contained all female group [[plays instruments, writes songs) was the Go-Go's - Beauty & The Beat in 1982. It actually ended a long drought. No female group had topped the chart since The Supremes did with TCB back 1969. If we discount that since The Temps are on it, we roll back to 1967 with the girls Greatest Hits double LP set.

Useless trivia fact: The only all girl groups* to land top ten albums between the Supremes and Go-Go's were Love Unlimited with "Under The Influence Of Love Unlimited" & The Emotions with "Rejoice."

*I am disqualifying the upthread mentioned Heart as originally the Wilson Sisters were just equal memebers of the co-ed band. It wasn't until later into their hit run that they became the defacto leaders once their groupmates/lovers departed....

The other two all female groups to top the Billboard 200 not mentioned in this thread are Danity Kane & The Dixie Chicks.

[marv2]

Probably not. Anyone can bang a tambourine.

Yeah but how many people can sing all of those different harmonies and remember all of that choreography specific to each individual song? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm........... One talent vs another.