"People"-Florence Ballard

Reportedly, "The Supremes", while engaged for two nightly shows at "The Riptide" Nightclub, Wildwood, NJ, July 9 -18, 1965, rehearsed the song set list for the upcoming dates, at the 400 seat capacity Cocopana Nightclub in NYC.

Did Florence Ballard sing "People" in Wildwood, NJ? What was Mr. Gordy's rationale for denying Florence Ballard to sing, "People"?

Added Note:
There is a commemorative plaque on the building, honoring The Supremes and other famous performers who performed at this upscale NJ Shore nightclub.

there have been lots of rumored stories in various books about the People/Copa saga. According to some, Flo was rehearsing it for Copa, some say Berry took it away and gave to Diana. some say Flo never sang it again

According to the Expanded Edition for Copa, People was not performed during the 6 shows that were recorded. Prior to the Copa, Flo performed the song and after the copa Flo continued to perform the song. in earlier performances, Diana sang the middle verse while flo did the rest. and in later performances Mary sang this middle verse.

Was it not performed at all during the July 65 Copa run? i don't know that we know.

Was it performed at Wildwood prior to the Copa? i don't know that we know either

Was it performed by DMF after the July 65 Copa run? yes

Was it eventually dropped from the act - appears so. either in late 66 or early 67. It was in the show during the Orient tour in Sept and was performed in late Sept at the Roostertail in Detroit. It was not recorded in May 67 at the Copa. so somewhere in between there, the song was dropped

Thank you for your response.Perhaps, the set list for Wildwood, NJ will be revealed.
If it was in a trial set list for the Cocopana Club,
I would be upset too as Flo was when she was not allowed to sing it as the lead- her range suits this song.

Did Flo say, "Thin may be in, but fat is where it's at!"

Imagine Flo on Broadway in "Hello Dolly!"
Also, she would have been great as Evilene.
"Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"- from The Wiz.

From what I've read, Flo had a bad flu before due Copa debut and missed a good portion of the rehearsals. So maybe they cut the song due to that?

Also I dont know if it was the '65 or '66 Copa engagement but Flo missed some shows right before and was replaced by Marlene Barrow.

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Originally Posted by TNSUN

Thank you for your response.Perhaps, the set list for Wildwood, NJ will be revealed.
If it was in a trial set list for the Cocopana Club,
I would be upset too as Flo was when she was not allowed to sing it as the lead- her range suits this song.

Did Flo say, "Thin may be in, but fat is where it's at!"

Imagine Flo on Broadway in "Hello Dolly!"
Also, she would have been great as Evilene.
"Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"- from The Wiz.

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in the comedy routine that the girls did for You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You, Flo did have that Fat/Thin line.

the story about Flo suddenly going off script at the Copa and doing ad lib lines like "Honey i don't know about all that" to the But Gold Won't Bring You Happiness, isn't exactly true either.

The Sups first tested out You're Nobody during the Motown Revue shows in Europe in spring 65. on the Expanded Edition of More Hits By The Supremes, there's a previous unreleased version of You're Nobody and during it, Flo does some similar comedy lines. So the idea that they were first done and done without notice at the Copa isn't true.

now perhaps for a "fancy" gig like the Copa, Berry directed them to NOT do the lines and Flo still did them. who knows. But it's not true that she simple went off script during the song.

it was early 66 that flo missed some dates and Marlene subbed for her. their 2nd Copa gig was in March 66

From everything I’ve heard, read, and experienced, the lead on “People” apparently was tossed back and forth like a hot potato. When I saw the group in August of 1966, Flo sang the first two verses and Diane took the final one, as was done for the aborted There’s a Place for Us album. Then there’s that live track where Mary takes a verse and Diane doesn’t do a lead at all. My understanding about the Copa situation was that Florence ultimately didn’t feel her voice was up to it after her having been ill, got cold feet, and got Diane to take over, rather than having had the number snatched away from her. I doubt we’ll ever know the real story, and does it really matter?

I'm thinking the "Diana ending up singing People" story isn't accurate. Tony Turner brings it up [[which therefore immediately raises suspicion) and Mary discusses it in Dreamgirl, but much of her content was informed by Tony too and the editors pressure to make the book more salacious.

Since Diana had never really sung the song previously and odds are wasn't really all that familiar with the lead line of it, i'd be surprised if at an important event like the Copa, she'd just tackle this unprepared. If it was decided that Flo wouldn't sing the song, I'm guessing they'd simply replace it with another tune from the songbook. They always had prepared more content than what would actually be performed in a single show. Plus once it would have become a "diana song" it would most likely have stayed that way. and Flo was definitely singing it post Copa 65

Florence had begun to feel her role diminish. In February 1963, when the group had been recording a country and western album on which Florence had been given the lead on one of the tunes, according to Flo, Diana broke off the recording, walked into the control room, and told the producers that she was the lead singer for all the songs. “Mary and I heard it through the earphones, and neither one of us could believe it,” Flo said.


But Diane wanted to be the lead singer on every song.” And Gordy agreed that she should be. According to Nelson George, author of Where Did Our Love Go?, Berry dismissed Flo’s aspirations as a lead performer at a rehearsal at a Detroit nightclub, the Roostertail, in front of most of the Motown brass. Flo was allegedly only four bars into “People” when Gordy told her to stop. “Let Diana do the song,” Gordy said.


Flo flinched visibly and began crying, according to George. According to Mary Wilson’s account, however, the Copa was the site of a less dramatic scene. Wilson wrote that Harvey Fuqua, a Motown employee in charge of the company’s Artist Development Department, merely “announced” that Flo would no longer perform “People.” Many wondered about the announcement, since Flo had performed the tune on opening night at the Copa and, even though she had just recovered from the flu, sounded terrific. “A couple of nights later, however, Diane was singing it,” Wilson wrote. According to Wilson, “We all suspected that Berry had taken the song from Flo, but Flo was thoroughly convinced of it, and she was crushed. How much more of the spotlight did Diane need? From that moment on, Flo regarded what was in fact the highest achievement of our career as a disaster. She was sad and moody, and I could see the three of us being torn apart.”


Benjaminson, Peter. The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard [[p. 77). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.

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Originally Posted by BigAl

From everything I’ve heard, read, and experienced, the lead on “People” apparently was tossed back and forth like a hot potato. When I saw the group in August of 1966, Flo sang the first two verses and Diane took the final one, as was done for the aborted There’s a Place for Us album. Then there’s that live track where Mary takes a verse and Diane doesn’t do a lead at all. My understanding about the Copa situation was that Florence ultimately didn’t feel her voice was up to it after her having been ill, got cold feet, and got Diane to take over, rather than having had the number snatched away from her. I doubt we’ll ever know the real story, and does it really matter?

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I posted the entire page below that refers to "People" being taken permanently from Flo.
Many wondered about the announcement, since Flo had performed the tune on opening night at the Copa and, even though she had just recovered from the flu, sounded terrific. “A couple of nights later, however, Diane was singing it,” Wilson wrote. According to Wilson, “We all suspected that Berry had taken the song from Flo, but Flo was thoroughly convinced of it, and she was crushed. Benjaminson, Peter. The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard [[p. 77). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.

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Originally Posted by NativeNuYorker

[FONT="]Florence had begun to feel her role diminish. In February 1963, when the group had been recording a country and western album on which Florence had been given the lead on one of the tunes, according to Flo, Diana broke off the recording, walked into the control room, and told the producers that she was the lead singer for all the songs. “Mary and I heard it through the earphones, and neither one of us could believe it,” Flo said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]But Diane wanted to be the lead singer on every song.” And Gordy agreed that she should be. According to Nelson George, author of Where Did Our Love Go?, Berry dismissed Flo’s aspirations as a lead performer at a rehearsal at a Detroit nightclub, the Roostertail, in front of most of the Motown brass. Flo was allegedly only four bars into “People” when Gordy told her to stop. “Let Diana do the song,” Gordy said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Flo flinched visibly and began crying, according to George. According to Mary Wilson’s account, however, the Copa was the site of a less dramatic scene. Wilson wrote that Harvey Fuqua, a Motown employee in charge of the company’s Artist Development Department, merely “announced” that Flo would no longer perform “People.” Many wondered about the announcement, since Flo had performed the tune on opening night at the Copa and, even though she had just recovered from the flu, sounded terrific. “A couple of nights later, however, Diane was singing it,” Wilson wrote. According to Wilson, “We all suspected that Berry had taken the song from Flo, but Flo was thoroughly convinced of it, and she was crushed. How much more of the spotlight did Diane need? From that moment on, Flo regarded what was in fact the highest achievement of our career as a disaster. She was sad and moody, and I could see the three of us being torn apart.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Benjaminson, Peter. The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard [[p. 77). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.

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That is what I read too! Thank you NativeNuYorker. Diana Ross was not a pig....she was a HOG for the spotlight!

Unfortunately, with all the proof from those that were victims and witnesses many still can't handle the truth.

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Originally Posted by NativeNuYorker

Unfortunately, with all the proof from those that were victims and witnesses many still can't handle the truth.

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I know what you mean. Thank you NativeNuYorker for sharing this story and the truth!

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Originally Posted by floyjoy678

From what I've read, Flo had a bad flu before due Copa debut and missed a good portion of the rehearsals. So maybe they cut the song due to that?

Also I dont know if it was the '65 or '66 Copa engagement but Flo missed some shows right before and was replaced by Marlene Barrow.

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I went to the 66 copa show on a tuesday nite mite have been either mar 4 ot 6. And flo was there wearing t same hairdo sasson. Cut to one side as she wore on the sullivan show for t my worldcis empty and somewhere performance

Just gonna leave this:

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

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Originally Posted by franjoy56

I went to the 66 copa show on a tuesday nite mite have been either mar 4 ot 6. And flo was there wearing t same hairdo sasson. Cut to one side as she wore on the sullivan show for t my worldcis empty and somewhere performance

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very nice!!

any memories of the show to share? what they were wearing? did they do any new or different songs than the shows we've heard from the Copa and Roostertail?