Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
i think there are two different scenarios to consider and we can use the Diana period for this.

within the framework of the original Supremes, except for maybe very very very early, Flo was never THE lead singer. Flo was never really the "shared" lead, shouldering half or so of the work. in 61 or so, Flo did some lead recordings but of the overall recordings, that was barely 1/3 of the total. by 62 it was all Diana leads, for the most part. with occasional for F and M. the earliest live recordings we have for the group also support this.

reason i'm dredging this back up is to show that during the DMF era, there were several years where it was most clearly Diana as the lead singer with occasional leads from M and F. there was a lot of 3-part harmony work though, and the overall presentation was still that of a group

where by 66 that group approach was declining. the recordings were becoming more of an assembly-line approach, just crank things out. even the glorious R&H set doesn't have quite the same 3-part harmonies or group approach as the earlier sets like Sam Cook or There's A Place. so it was clear that the group was evolving in a DR launch pad. and trouble brewed up

so if Flo came back for a possible MSF lineup or something, i don't immediately think Flo would have rebelled against the idea. if they approached the MSF line up like they did the MSS lineup, with 3 singers being spotlighted, i think it is possible flo would have been fine. i don't think she thought she HAD to be the primary or only lead singer. i don't think she would have begrudged mary being heavily featured. but i do think the bullshit that M and Pedro offered up with using the group as a launch pad for Mary's solo career would have been a problem. just like it was in the 60s
The Primettes were the setting that propelled Flo, Diana and Mary forward. They were certainly an equal group, sharing the leads fairly evenly. Once at Motown, Diana became the primary lead singer, as Gordy was especially interested in her voice. But beyond lead singing, the Supremes were an equal trio. I don't believe any one Supreme looked at any other Supreme and thought "she's the boss". They all had an equal say. Later on Diana had a lot of pull with Gordy, which gave her leg room that Flo and Mary didn't quite have. But still, there was a big difference in group parity between when Flo was a Supreme and when Cindy was a Supreme. Even Mary's voice fell deeper into the background as Diana's position was elevated.

After Diana left, Mary rightfully viewed the Supremes as her group. She makes a statement in her book where she compares the Supremes to working in a department store: the replacements understood that they were employees in the Supremes, not owners. Whatever respect Mary had for the replacements, from Cindy to Susaye, she was never going to view them as equal to herself, nor should she have. While Mary may not have enjoyed the pressure of the position, she likely enjoyed the perk of sitting in the top position as Queen Supreme.

My point was that had Flo come back, the issue might have been of rank. Yes, Flo was an original Supreme. She was responsible for bringing Mary in. But Flo had been gone for many years. Mary was running the ship. Would Flo want to be co-runner? If so, would Mary be okay with that? Or would Flo be fine as an "employee" to Mary? I'm not sure she would have been okay with that.

I know the default position is to focus on "lead singing", but that was never the big issue in the Supremes anyway. Both Flo and Mary are on record saying they didn't have a problem with Diana being the lead singer. Even when Flo suggested they add the Streisand songs to the act, she chose "People" for herself and "I Am Woman" for Diana. Equality goes beyond who's singing lead.