Originally Posted by
TheMotownManiac
The Supremes were never making it bigger than Diana. That's a myth Mary started but is not really true. I used to believe it, but now with everything on the net, the truth is out there. Certain, specific facts can be manipulated to look the way Mary suggested, but on Record World and Cash Box which were based solely on sales and not airplay [[like Billboard) the story is different and sales is where the labels were concentrating. Both acts did very well that first year and both slipped the next, however The Supremes had a hit and Diana didn't. Diana's albums always did significantly better even though they didn't have as many familiar songs. The Supremes were all over TV. The point is one act was not bigger than the other by any sizable margin until Lady sings The Blues. Even then, and by then, they were two separate type of acts that weren't even in similar catagories. No one was comparing them. No one cared who was bigger - not even Motown cared. Berry was going to make her a movie star. Very little effort was put into her records until after lady. In spring of '69, DR&TS sold out 16,000 plus at St Louis arena. A year later, both acts were playing teeny Mill Run in Chicago instead with a comic opening. The next time The Supremes came to Mill Run they were promoting Nathan Jones on a split headline bill with Ray Charles.
Motown released 3 "OK" studio albums on Diana - each with a bright spot or two. In the same time that they released 8 "OK - Good" studio albums on The Supremes.
Much has been written about the competitive nature of Diana and Mary during the 60's and it's obvious that Mary felt the need to qualify Diana's success as well as the fate of The 70's Supremes in her favor with excuses such as treachery. I no longer believe it.
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