Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
It was Ross' voice coupled with those incredible HDH compositions, the Funk Brothers' incredible musicianship and the beautiful harmony of Flo and Mary that gripped the public. The Supremes were never just about Diana, and there were several times when Gordy- and I suspect Ross- were annoyed to find out that reality. The Supremes were a huge machine. They were a force beyond simply singing. Their story was one of the interesting aspects of their image, and that story and image were strictly tied to the three original Supremes. When Flo leaves and Cindy comes in, the dynamic is different because the history is different. Replace Flo and Mary, and yes, the group becomes second rate. The replacements might be consummate professionals and talented singers, but the initial magic of three friends from humble beginnings striking it big against all odds...is gone. This Diana only group would never have been seen as better than the original trio, thus making them second rate. Sure, just like with DRATS, they might have a few big hits and Diana could continue to test run her solo career, but the DRATS-less Mary grouping would live in the shadow of the original trio, just like all the other incarnations that came after the originals, including DRATS. Second rate.
Second rate suggests inferior which might not have been the case.
The point being would those HDH songs have become the hits they did without the unique and extremely radio friendly Ross voice. I think the Supremes would have been just as successful had Flo and Mary been two other female singers.
Take Diana out of the equation and what are you left with. I say that not to down play Flo and Mary’s contribution for l think they were great at what they did.
Having said that it was Diana’s voice alone that was uniquely special. Like many other artists she needed good song writers and a strong support team behind her.
When all is said and done, she was the key to it all.