My hope is this does not start some huge Supremes drama, as it is simply my observations and opinions. Some you may share and some you may disagree with, but I ask you all to be polite and civil. First off, I love all of the Supremes-so let's get that out first thing. With the recent birthdays of both Jean Terrell and Scherrie Payne, I felt like I wanted to say something about how I feel about some aspects of the group. First off, it was wonderful to see Diana Ross be honored on the AMA for a lifetime achievement award, she is long overdue and I feel she has never been given her due. I feel that way about the Supremes even more. I see so many threads about how awesome Florence Ballard was and she does have a very strong voice, but I do not feel she had the discipline or dexterity in her vocals that Diana had or even that Mary had. Florence comes off less polished in the dance routines than Mary & Flo but she seemed to compensate with an endearing smile and presence. I like Flo's voice, but it is not as distinctive as Diana's or even Mary's. Mary was an eye catcher with her beauty, her poise and her ability to add a feminine grace to the dance routines. Her smoky voice was distinctive and she was the one able to blend the voices in all of the line ups, especially the originals where Diana was nasal and untrained with her high distinctive voice cutting through and Flo's loud and high backing being heard. Without Mary, it would have sounded less polished, like everyone was trying to be heard at once. Jean Terrell also had a distinctive voice-she sounded like a cross between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick, although sometimes her nasal and high notes sounded grating, like on a few Jimmy Webb cuts. She offered a far more natural stage presence and a very disciplined voice that was distinctive and recognizable. Mary & Cindy seemed to shine more visually and vocally during this grouping. Because Jean was more about voice and not a show business razzle dazzle showstopper, the general public started to lose interest even though vocally they were miles ahead and artistically advancing forward. When Mary regrouped when Jean & Lynda left, it was assuring to have Cindy back as a Supreme and nice to hear her voice and see her. Mary always felt Florence had the best voice in the group, which I never felt personally. In hiring Scherrie Payne, she brought about the group that she envisioned. I have to laugh when I read that the group "no longer sounded like the Supremes" and that is because the lead no longer had that high distinctive sound that Diana Ross and Jean Terrell had. Mary chose Scherrie like she chose Lynda who both had the sound she liked in Flo. Now, it sounded more like it would if Flo was lead singer. Scherrie Payne was loud and strong, but had far more discipline and dexterity in her vocals than Flo did. Scherrie is perhaps the most overlooked Supreme in terms of talent. Her vocals are amazing, she also had the glamor and feminine dance moves that Mary had, had a similar timbre in her voice to Mary. This is what the group would have sounded like had Florence stayed and become lead singer, although Scherrie had far more discipline and dexterity in her vocals. When they added Susaye, she had that high distinctive voice similar to Minnie Ripperton or Deneice Williams. On record, the last grouping seriously had as much talent as the originals with three lead vocalists able to tackle three different genres of music-Diana was pop,Flo was soul and Mary was ballads, now Mary was ballads and light disco,Scherrie was pop and perfect for disco and Susaye was funk and soul. By then they did seem like three leads all trying to outdo each other to be recognized and the cohesiveness that was there before during live shows suffered, the lack of support and direction from Motown didn't help either.
Like I said, these are just my observations and opinions, I am not putting down anyone so please DO NOT turn this post into Supreme World War 3. You can agree or disagree with my opinions but respond politely and with thought. Respect these artists because I do love all of the Supremes.
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