I think it's Gladys hands down. Mary Wells was not versatile and had little range. Martha has a 5 octave range. Flo Ballard had a loud trilling vibrato but her vocalizing was generally wretched as you can see by her solo CD. It was not the best material, but her weak, awful vocals on most songs made them worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbtLV3SDuc
Flo had a great instrument for harmonizing but little talent as a soloist. This is why no one at Motown used her at the label or after. Mary created this Aretha-esque myth to formulate martyrdom for both Flo and herself. It worked in that it put her name on the map after a decade of solo struggle, but still couldn't generate interest in a record deal or any kind of viable, continuing employment away from The Supremes. What Mary didn't say about Flo is that her big chance, her solo spotlight, her giant splash fresh from The Supremes was a disaster, she was dropped for lack of interest and ability and no one picked her up. I included the worst of her CD here, in order to be as objective as Mary was in her book, but no soloist worth her salt would cut crap like this on the biggest break of her career. I loved Flo in the group, and loved People when she did it because it was my dear Flo singing her solo - not because it was going to make Streisand slit her wrists. Play her tracks - you be the judge. Great thread!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6E8...DYpKqO&index=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgHD...DYpKqO&index=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8GI...DYpKqO&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHIC...YpKqO&index=10
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