Definitive List Of Who Actually Sang On Singles?

[florence]

From hitting the Top 20 with Where Did Our Love Go taking The Supremes as Diana, Mary and Florence then Diana, Mary and Cindy is there a definitive list anywhere of which Supremes actually sang on which singles?

I understand that Forence may have not been on a couple of singles prior to her departure and post 1967 many were Diana and backing singers?

[jobucats]

The operative word is "definitive". There are lists out there; however, even with those lists compiled by those who have physically worked with the actual, hands-on documentation from the original track information, there are still those fans who dispute these lists based on what they are hearing with their ears or what they read in so and so's book. Often the expanded editions which have been released, shed some light on who were singing on each track.

[PeaceNHarmony]

'One of us' forum members was compiling quite an exhaustive Excel chart of this sort of information; I regret I don't remember who it was. Perhaps S/he will see this thread and re-post his findings.

[sup_fan]

lolol morning Peace. I'm the dork that has made up the excel sheet with all their itinerary, chart rankings, etc.

I haven't done a tab in the file on who sang what. but figured i can start it here. and for ease i'm limiting this to the A sides and the major records

WDOLG - DMF
Baby love - DMF
Come see - DMF
Stop - DMF and Andantes
BAck in arms - DMF
nothing but heartaches - DMF
Symphony - DMF and supposed the soprano from Andantes? at least according to the A's book. was that Marlene?
My world - DMF
itching - DMF
You can't hurry love - DM and Marlene
YKMHO - DMF
love is here - DMF and Andantes
happening - DMF
Reflections - DM and Marlene
IN and out - DMF and andantes
Forever - D and andantes
Some times - D and A&S and some other studio singers
Love child - D and Andantes
I'm gonna make - DMC, Andantes Tempts
Shame - D and A's
i'll try - DMC, A, Temps
Composer - D and A
Sign - D and A
Someday - D, Bristol, the Waters sisters, perhaps 1 or 2 of the As
ladder - jMC and Andantes
Everybody - jmC
Stoned - jMC
river deep - JMC A's and tops
Nathan - JMC and supposedly Clydie King
Floy Joy - JMC and A
Auto sun - JMC and A
Your Wonderful - JMC Andantes and Smokey
I Guess - JML
Bad - JML
He's my man - SMC
where do i go - SMC
Walking - SMCS
Wheel - SMS
Let yourself go - SMS

[Luciano]

Thanks for sharing Sup_fan! You may want to add Merry Clayton as says she, The Blackberries and others sang background on "Someday We'll Be Together".

[RanRan79]

Sup I mostly agree with your list. I question anyone other than Flo and Mary on "Symphony". The Andantes are not on "No Matter", it's the Blackberries. I'm unconvinced about the Andantes on "Ladder" as well. But other than that, I'd say the list appears pretty accurate to me.

[florence]

Thanks for the list sup_fan - really interesting.

Mostly in line with what I expected but I didn't realise Florence wasn't on You Can't Hurry Love

[carlo]

The Andantes are on The Happening, along with Mary and Flo

[blackguy69]

To add I highly doubt the Andantes were on river deep.

Sup I mostly agree with your list. I question anyone other than Flo and Mary on "Symphony". The Andantes are not on "No Matter", it's the Blackberries. I'm unconvinced about the Andantes on "Ladder" as well. But other than that, I'd say the list appears pretty accurate to me.

[blackguy69]

Carlo the andantes were removed from The Happening.

The Andantes are on The Happening, along with Mary and Flo

[sup_fan]

Really - i don't hear any additional voices on The Happening.

I've wondered about Ladder. I do think Frank layered vocals and would sometimes layer additional M and C [[and sometimes with J) vocal lines. but he would also occasionally add in A's too. with the echo effect, it's a little hard to decipher if Ladder is just the girls double tracked or if the As are softly mixed into the background. like after the bridge and the backgrounds eventually come in with the oooo's as Jean builds the song back up to the chorus. Supposedly you have MJC doing the backgrounds but it seems a bit more full than just 3 vocalists singing. so perhaps the A's are mixed in

[sup_fan]

Thanks for the list sup_fan - really interesting.

Mostly in line with what I expected but I didn't realise Florence wasn't on You Can't Hurry Love

yeah i resisted this earlier as i thought [[or wanted to think) it was just a rumor

but in the main part of the A Go Go EE booklet, it clearly says that on July 4 M and D were in the studio and Flo was a no show. the two girls end up recording What Becomes and that's Diana doing the soprano line. On 7/5 they're back in the studio but have apparently located Marlene and she does backing vocals with mary. the booklet mentions Little Misunderstanding, slow down and then says something like "and a few more"

then if you go into the track listing for the songs, YCHL lists that the backing vocals were recorded 7/5. so that was one of the "and a few more" but perhaps given it's massive hit status and history, Andy and team weren't comfortable stating it right out in the story

[sup_fan]

Carlo the andantes were removed from The Happening.

and i've wondered about this story. the A's are on the previous single - Love Is Here. so what made Flo pissed off about Happening? of course i wasn't there so don't know for sure. But the A's had been on tons of material by then including the entire Xmas album.

[sup_fan]

Sup I mostly agree with your list. I question anyone other than Flo and Mary on "Symphony". The Andantes are not on "No Matter", it's the Blackberries. I'm unconvinced about the Andantes on "Ladder" as well. But other than that, I'd say the list appears pretty accurate to me.

i'm not sure anyone else is either. I've tried to listen more closely. The background vocals do sound a bit full. like more than just 2 people. but maybe i'm not hearing it right. i'm just going by what was written in the Andantes book, some of which appears to be true and some might be alittle muddied with the passage of time

[blackguy69]

Everybody always forget that Jean also sang background as well.

i'm not sure anyone else is either. I've tried to listen more closely. The background vocals do sound a bit full. like more than just 2 people. but maybe i'm not hearing it right. i'm just going by what was written in the Andantes book, some of which appears to be true and some might be alittle muddied with the passage of time

[sup_fan]

but not necessarily on every track. there are definitely some times where there are just 2 singers in background. perhaps that great moreso as time went on.

the A's were used a LOT during the jean era. some producers seemed to use them predominantly - like Clay McMurray. i don't know if he used them INSTEAD of M and C or just everyone all together.

[blackguy69]

Half of the songs that Clay McMurry did with them had Mary and Cindy

but not necessarily on every track. there are definitely some times where there are just 2 singers in background. perhaps that great moreso as time went on.

the A's were used a LOT during the jean era. some producers seemed to use them predominantly - like Clay McMurray. i don't know if he used them INSTEAD of M and C or just everyone all together.

[sup_fan]

that could be. i'm not sure when there are or aren't on his productions. so they could well be on half. but it's pretty much a certainty that the A's are on all of Clay's tracks. I think the problem is he didn't keep the A's in the background like when Frank used them. instead it's more of a choral effect. not as bad as Jimmy but M and C are much more obscured on Clay's material