Originally Posted by
juicefree20
The bottom line is that you have to consider how the Pop music world was in 1964.
And no, I don't believe that there was any grand scheme to make Diana a solo act, not at first. But once The Supremes took off & Diana's style & vocals caught on so tremendously & the internal bickering began, that's likely when the seed became planted. While a great group, other groups have lost members whom sang in the background & continued forward. But truthfully, by that time there was only one irreplaceable voice in The Supremes & no matter how much I may have preferred Mary & Flo, history has already weighed in on this & no matter what I may think or wish that things had gone, the facts are the facts & can't be changed even if I wanted to.
While I've always heard about the dynamic voice that Flo possessed, I just never got to hear it. Now on "Buttered Popcorn" & certainly not on those ABC songs that finally saw the light of day.
Back in 1964, you didn't hear Girl Groups with a lead singer singing with a "ballsy" soulful voice. That's just not how it was back then & if I'm wrong, please name one group from The Crystals to The Shangri-Las whom did. Hell, Aretha was still singing Jazz & pop standards back then & we know what Dionne was singing, so Flo being the lead was likely not an option when it came to Berry getting The Supremes to where he was trying to go.
Think about the Black entertainers whom were crossing over to Pop, showing up on Ed Sullivan & Hollywood Palace & playing The Copa & other supper clubs. The Drifters were having hits with Brazilian-tinged sounds, Jackie Wilson was singing Pop & Sam Cooke had to water down his Gospel roots & make crap like "Cousin Of Mine" & "Tennesee Waltz". Compare his "Live At The Copa" Lp recorded for that "smart" supper crowd, to his "Harlem Square" LP which was obviously recorded for an entirely different crowd & you'll understand why Berry put Diana up front & it made perfect economic sense.
Now had it been between 1967 & 1968 when Stax & Otis had gained acceptance with the Pop crowd & Aretha completely kicked down the doors & James, Wilson & Joe Tex were hitting the Pop charts singing straight out pure Soul, then perhaps Flo would've been the best choice.
But not in the Pop world as it was in 1963.
The truth is that that Pop crowd could relate to Diana purely based upon her enunciation. You understood every word that Diana sang. Her voice which was ringing out during a very threatening period in our history, The Civil Rights Era, was non-threatening in nature.
For reasons which are purely sensible & economic in basis, not because it was done to hold anyone back, but simply because it made perfect sense. This isn't to say that Diana had the BEST voice. But it is to say that she had the most DISTINCTIVE voice. Whereas the other ladies could've blended in along with the rest of the talented singers whom were around back then, no one sounded like Diana Ross. And that's not a knock on Mary nor Flo, it's just the truth.
And if you look at the charts circa 1963/64, remember how Pop Radio sounded back then or even remember how those days were from a musical perspective with just about every R&B singer trying to sound more Pop, you know that I'm speaking nothing but the truth.
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