...brought the two Detroits together”. On line NY Times on line today. Couldn’t post link. Article about rich and poor and black and white. Supremes at debutante ball performing.
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...brought the two Detroits together”. On line NY Times on line today. Couldn’t post link. Article about rich and poor and black and white. Supremes at debutante ball performing.
Great pics of the girls!
Great photos. This was one of the shows where Marlene Barrow stood in for Flo.
i'll preface this by stating i'm ASSUMING Flo's absence was due to her unreliability.
but my feelings are, unless Flo had blood spurting out of her eyes, ears and mouth, the fact that she missed such a high-paying gig and that the Sups could command this price would be grounds for dismissal. Having to bring in a sub [[although they successfully seemed to weather the issue) could have really damaged the groups image. This type of behavior is pretty much inexcusable .
She's lucky she wasn't fired then and there
Seems like the photographer was purposely not taking pictures of the group from the front, I'm assuming because of Marlene filling in.
As once described to me, June 1965 was too soon for "trouble in paradise." I don't know the full backstory of her absence from this, but tend to lean on the side that she probably was sick and had to skip out. She wasn't acting up around this time nor did her drinking become a problem yet. They had just exploded in popularity and I don't think the pressures of the business had yet to take its toll on Florence. The three of them were experiencing the high of fame at this time and enjoying it. It's more likely Florence was sick [[flu, lost her voice, etc) rather than acting out in rebellion.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
I know Marlene has discussed her times filling in for Florence but I think there is some confusion about the dates of when she did. In the Andantes book they did with Vickie Wright, she talks about the first gig she did with the group was this performance at the country club in June 1965. She goes on to say she did gigs with them in Philadelphia, Cleveland, etc., but it's not indicated if that was right after this show or the time she filled in 1966. She discusses playing at Blinstrub's in Boston but we know Florence played that gig in 1965 before the Copa so I'm thinking she was referring to 1966 dates. She then filled in April 1967 when things go real bad.
I think Flo was sick when they performed there.
There was no internal drama in '65.
I've seen at least two photos from the front so I don't know if that was an issue. To be honest, considering this was still June 1965, the photographer might not have even known Flo wasn't on stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by floyjoy678
But I wouldn't be surprised if the writer and/or editor of this article chose these photos from the side because they did not want to highlight Flo's absence and instead keep to the topic of these three girls conquering other worlds.
Well luckily you weren't their manager or were in charge. You probably wasn't even born when they did this gig.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
That makes sense. Whatever was wrong with Flo that night, she was only a few miles from there since this gig was in Grosse Pointe.Quote:
Originally Posted by reese
Great find Luke, thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by luke
are you able to read marv? i started my post by stating, clearly, that i was making an assumption about the situation. you might have been born but i know damn well YOU were not present at any meetings in 1965 between Berry, the girls, motown management. and of course neither was i. hence the use of the word "assumption"Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
maybe she really was sick and legitimately just no able to attend. but this is still a HUGE gig based on the profit they'd make off of this. and the rule is the show MUST go on. i know that in practically any other job, if you're the cause of potentially losing huge revenue like this, it does not bode well for your longevity.
Who said there was a meeting? I think you need to take a break. You're starting to believe you were a Supreme.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
LOLOLOLOLOL. Thats rich coming from you.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Wonderful article. Thanks for sharing. That one quote says it all:
"It wasn’t an intentional political statement to hire the Supremes to perform at her party, Ms. Wilson Hofmann said. She chose them because she loved their music, and she was from a family that could make her request happen."
Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
The Supremes didn't reap the rewards of this "high paying gig". The Company [[aka BG got the cash). The Supremes got peanuts and poor Marlene got even less!
You are exactly right. To go further, all of the artists were instructed to mainly talk about the company "Motown" and not about themselves. To steer all responses back to Motown and how the company made them stars.Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolKatz
A little perspective here.This kind of gig was considered a sell out even more than the Copa and the other supper clubs It was basically rich white people paying to see black folks from the other side of the tracks on "display". One can understand why this is hardly ever talked about in Supremes or Motown books today. It's an embarrassment and I doubt more than one or two people in that audience knew who any of them where or knew their songs. It's sad because at this point they were on their way to the Copa and doing well on the charts and TV.
Again you make another excellent observation. All you to do is look at the expressions on the faces of the people in the crowd, especially the ones up front. I remember that in those days and in that area, black people were only allowed to work in the kitchens at Country Clubs. They could never possibly consider being members no matter how much money they had. That is how Idlewild in Michigan was built. It was a summer resort for upper middle class and well off black folks.Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolKatz
I wonder if the Andantes were hidden somewhere to replace Mary's legendarily inadequate singing and preparation?
It was a sad state of affairs then but the Supremes were coming off of five number one records and Everyone had heard of them. Ed Sullivan , constant radio play etc. Thank God these three young women came along and helped change the face of America.
I agree and it all happened in our lifetimes....!Quote:
Originally Posted by luke
You know what else? That event was held only about 20 miles tops from the Brewster Projects in Detroit.Quote:
Originally Posted by luke
My guess is that even this early on already the focus was on that gorgeous lead singer. Not many in any Supremes audience would have known the individual names or even recognized the presence of the 2 non-lead singers, appearances being quite limited in those days. It was the lead singer's voice that sold the records. As for another poster's 'trouble in paradise' comment, it seems likely that sadly Flo was already a functioning alcoholic and missing performances due to that illness as well as untreated PTSD after the attack. And who knows ... Flo did not want anyone to know about the attack, but perhaps Wilson was blabbin' about it way back then the way she did years later when she had a 'book' to sell? Now, we all know that Wilson would never, ever have a record to sell, and perhaps she knew it as well and figured the book tour was the best time to throw Flo's memory and wishes under the bus.Quote:
Originally Posted by reese
I think your quote "I wonder if the Andantes were hidden somewhere to replace Mary's legendarily inadequate singing and preparation?" may be a bit early in the game in 1965 as I can't imagine Berry letting that type of behavior take place as the group was ascending to unimaginable heights and they had to be "perfect" and rehearsed. Maybe later on when Diana was doing the bulk of the singing your statement could ring true.
Flo s drinking was not an issue at this point and just so u know i knew who t three supremes were at this point i was 16 and a fan and the supremes music at this time were of three not one as u seem to think. Flo also had a heart condition and surprise she handlrd t situation well until after t copa when her solo was dropped for t 65 performsnceQuote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
Fran everyone knew who the three ladies in the Supremes were by name. In Detroit they all knew them first and when they went national, it was no different. Florence still has a very large fan base today after all of these years. Anyone that says different is lying.Quote:
Originally Posted by franjoy56
This was 1965, this was when the Supremes were starting to really take off and make history at the same time. They were at a level that no other black musical act had been before around the time, especially in the civil rights era. I doubt that they were at that stage where problems came. The problems wouldn't emerge until later on that next year. But 1965, all three were just basking in the sun at the ages of 21 and 22 years old. Just kids who had been sharing a dream to make it to the top for six years and then to get there was amazing for them.
thats right , my sister took me to hear the wdolg album and when the 6 track long gone lover came on I wanted to know who was the soprano voice on the outro of the song after I read the back of the album I found out who Flo was. these were the growing happy building a brand tiime. I basked when they hit shindig, hullaboloo, hollywood palace and american bandstand, lloyd thaxton, and I waited to see what they were going to wear and sing, the period when diana popped her eyes out and Mary and Flo sang loudly at the mike before they were turned down starting with "I hear a symphony.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
I remember those times too. They were at their best when Flo and Mary could be heard loud and clear.Quote:
Originally Posted by franjoy56
Well ... of course I wasn't there so can't definitively say [[as none of us can!) but behavioral changes, whether addictions or merely personality traits, are rarely 'next day' events but rather accretive by nature. So, forensically speaking, if we consider that this concert took place in June of 1965, and the 'Supremes' Merry Christmas lp was released in November of the same year, that leaves just a 4-month gap between the two events. Next, since it is common knowledge that Mary opted during that same 4-month gap to party in Mexico [[or Puerto Rico?) instead of working on the lp it could be surmised that her work-ethic issues had indeed already begun. I believe it is also known that the Andante-behind-the-curtain situation had begun by this time, but others would know that more fully than I. Hence: my question.Quote:
Originally Posted by motownlover1964