Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
i believe all of the women were contractually signed to motown but then the management of the group came down to Supremes Inc. For instance, what songs would be in the stage show, the gowns, tours and tour logistics, etc.

this doesn't mean that Sup Inc handled the releases of records though. that would still be motown.

maybe think of how Diana set things up. even at RCA. wasn't it RTC management that managed her tours and all? but RCA still released the audio product.

So S and S would have been legally signed as singers via motown and the as members of the Supremes. but their roles in the ongoing strategic and managerial activities of the group would not necessarily have been as equal 1/3. For instance i remember asking Susaye once [[either here or on FB) about the gowns. She commented that she loved those blue fringe ones from Udo live. i asked her if the girls all decided on the outfits and [[if i remember right - and Miss Greene if you read this, please accept my apologies for misquoting xoxoxox) she stated mary selected the gowns.
By her own accord, as membership started to change, Mary took a much bigger role in ownership, knowing she would forever be the only constant. I'd think that Jean, Mary, and Cindy had a 33/33/33 voice into the group; by the time it was Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye, it was probably more like 60/30/10.

Your story about Susaye liking the blue icicles, and Mary picking out the gowns further solidifies that Mary was "stuck" into the Supremes image of the 1960's. We can talk gowns for 100 years, but by the time Susaye joined, very few, if any, Diana-era gowns should have been utilized.