Part 1—From No-Name to Household Name Supremes
There could not have been a more complex and capricious individual at Motown than Diana Ross. Raised in the Brewster-Douglass housing projects of Detroit, her relentless ambition propelled the Primettes from humble beginnings at sock hops to the pinnacle of elite Motown success. Ross’s ascension to stardom seemed predestined; the Supremes served as the gateway to her coveted solo career. Talent was undoubtedly a factor, but timing and Motown politics also played a crucial role in shaping her journey.
The Supremes. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
• THE PRIMETTES TO THE SUPREMES•
Every day after school, the Primettes—comprising Diane Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown—could be found roaming the hallways and studios of Motown. Eager to lend their handclaps, background vocals, and assist with secretarial duties, they positioned themselves strategically, hoping to be in the right place at the right time. Janie Bradford, an administrative assistant and part-time songwriter, watched the Primettes come through Hitsville’s doors regularly.
Motown wasn’t their first stop. Prior to that, they had cut two tracks with Lu Pine Records, a modest establishment in Detroit: “Tears of Sorrow” featuring Ross on lead and “Pretty Baby” with Wilson taking the lead. Although the single didn’t leave a lasting mark, it didn’t dampen their determination. Their target was at Motown.
LISTEN TO “TEARS OF SORROW” BY THE PRIMETTES
LISTEN TO “PRETTY BABY” BY THE PRIMETTES
“Day one she had that drive,” Bradford recalls of Ross. “She was always an ahead-thinker.”
Their target for persuasion that they had a place at Motown was founder Berry Gordy. Initially, he was an enigma to Wilson.
“I was not impressed,” Wilson said years later. “I was not impressed because, first of all, you hear about people and you make them in your mind bigger than big. Here comes this little guy hopping out there with a sly grin on his face. We kind of looked at each other and said, ‘This is the big man we’re supposed to impress?’ I felt that there was a lot going on behind his smile. There was something working back there in his head. Being so young, I couldn’t figure out what it was. I guess now, in retrospect, he really had something in his mind that he wanted to accomplish.”
Finally, in January 1961, Motown personnel and Berry Gordy agreed to sign the girl group to the label. McGlown, who had recently gotten married in 1960, had already departed, and Barbara Martin stepped in as her replacement.
A name change was a necessary first step, a task Ross delegated to Ballard. However, in a 1965 interview, Ross remarked that she was not particularly fond of the name “Supremes” at first. Florence was handed a short list of names by Janie Bradford on a small piece of paper. The other girls were not present when the decision had to be made and Florence chose “Supremes” because “it was different.”
“To me it was the strongest name [the Supremes],” Bradford said. The whereabouts of that piece of paper remains unknown, but among the options listed were names such as the Darleens, Jewelettes, Melodees, and Sweet Ps, all of which Ballard opted against. Ross openly voiced her dissatisfaction with the name “Supremes,” considering it too masculine, during press interviews. In subsequent interviews, when questioned about the name, Ross made it clear that she wasn’t the one who chose it, deferring to Ballard to elaborate.
• THE “NO-HIT SUPREMES” •
In 1962, Martin’s departure due to pregnancy reduced the group to a trio. During the period spanning 1961 to 1963, a series of unsuccessful releases earned them the unflattering moniker of “the no-hit Supremes.” This label deeply troubled Ross, yet it fueled her determination even further.
Wilson recalls, “We knew that we were good. Not egotistically, just something you felt. All we wanted to do was sing. We pestered Berry, pestered [the writing and producing team] Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey [Robinson], every day to make our dream come true. I think Diane exemplified what it meant to go after it on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment situation.”
“I think Diane exemplified what it meant to go after it on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment situation.”
- Mary Wilson, Supreme
Throughout this period, all three Supremes rotated as lead vocalists, showcasing diverse styles—Ballard with a soulful tone, Wilson with a preference for soft ballads, and Ross leaning towards mainstream pop. Towards the end of 1963, Gordy appointed Ross as the group’s official lead singer, coinciding with the success of their single, “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes,” which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 that December. This marked a relief for the group, particularly Rosss, as the disparaging label of “no-hit Supremes” began to fade with the success of “Lovelight.”
LISTEN TO “WHEN THE LOVELIGHT STARTS SHINING THROUGH HIS EYES” BY THE SUPREMES
• “WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO?” •
With a designated lead singer and a semi-hit under their belt, the Supremes entered 1964 with newfound direction and momentum. Their first significant opportunity arose when the Marvelettes passed on recording “Where Did Our Love Go.” Although the Supremes initially lacked enthusiasm for the song, possibly due to the Marvelettes rejecting it and being seen as second-hand, Motown producers demanded that they record it nevertheless.
“We’d already cut the track of ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ for the Marvelettes, and it was in the key that Gladys Horton sang,” recalls Lamont Dozier of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. “But because the key was lower what Diana had been doing, it gave a certain low, sultry, kind of sexy sound to her voice that we hadn’t known before. It gave body to her voice. It gave her a sound. We stumbled across it, actually. It was their blessing.”
“Diana said to me something to the effect of, ‘You’re always giving us the crap.’ My reply went something like, ‘You ought to be glad to get what you’re getting.’”
- Lamont Dozier, songwriter
Ross was angry. “Diana said to me something to the effect of, ‘You’re always giving us the crap,’” Dozier recalls. “My reply went something like, ‘You ought to be glad to get what you’re getting.’” Ross bolted up to Gordy’s office to complain. When he came down to Studio A to listen, he predicted that it could be a top 10 song. The incident highlighted that Ross needed guidance and coaching.
“I only know what I know,” said Louvain Demps of the Andantes, the background singers enlisted to enrich tracks or substitute group members on recordings. “And what I know is the person that taught her [Diane Ross] said, ‘Sing it like I’m singing it to you.’ When she mimicked that, that’s when her sound changed because she was very nasally. They told her, ‘Open up and sing like I’m singing.’”
Dozier also agreed that Ross did not have an exceptional singing voice in the beginning. “Berry Gordy always felt that Diana Ross had something,” Dozier said. “He always said that Diana is going to be a big star. I had to admit at the time, I didn’t really see that. I couldn’t see that far because all I hear was this very high voice that sounded like a cat most of the time to me. I always felt that I liked Diana’s tone but I always felt that somebody should cut her down in a register to give her voice more body or something.”
The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars tour served as a platform to promote newly released singles, providing artists and groups with an opportunity to perform and boost their songs onto the charts. Initially, Clark preferred Motown singer Brenda Holloway for his tour, prompting Gordy to insist to him to also include the Supremes, who were notably absent from the tour poster. At this point, any indications of success from “Where Did Our Love Go” had yet to materialize.
Having embarked on a grueling Motown tour in 1962, the Supremes were familiar with the rigors of travel. However, the Caravan of Stars tour introduced them to a fresh set of challenges.
“This was their first big tour all over America and they [the Supremes] thought that the biggest thing was to go on stage dressed right.”
- Singer Gene Pitney
“This was their first big tour all over America and they thought that the biggest thing was to go on stage dressed right,” said white singer Gene Pitney who accompanied the Supremes for the 72-day, 30,000-mile tour. “One night they left their stage dresses in the bus and the bus driver had quit for the night and left the bus locked up tight. So, the Supremes had to go on stage in the clothes that they were wearing. I watched them. They were in tears. Great big old crocodile tears running down their faces.”
Gordy continues, “But their record had been released and as the tour went to various towns, they would see the posters with their names. Then they moved up on the bill and when they came out, the people started applauding. By the time they got off the tour, ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ was number one.”
LISTEN TO “WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO” BY THE SUPREMES
Dozier went to the airport to pick up the Supremes after touring with Dick Clark. “Their whole attitude was ‘star time,’” he recalled, noting the irony of the Supremes initially disliking the song and now enjoying its success. “No apologies, no nothing.”
• RISE TO MOTOWN’S DARLINGS •
Four consecutive hits followed: “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In The Name of Love,” and “Back in My Arms Again.” The once dubbed “no-hit Supremes” were rightfully crowned the “5-consecutive hit Supremes.” For Ross, it was vindication and an ultimate ego boost. The sudden surge of success prompted a seismic shift at Motown, diverting attention and resources toward the Supremes, catching the entire company off-guard. As the spotlight intensified on them, uncertainty clouded the futures of other artists, leading to doubts and varying levels of resentment toward the company's response.
LISTEN TO “BABY LOVE” BY THE SUPREMES
LISTEN TO “COME SEE ABOUT ME” BY THE SUPREMES
LISTEN TO “STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE” BY THE SUPREMES
LISTEN TO “BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN” BY THE SUPREMES
In 1965, Diane Ross made the decision to change her name to Diana Ross, a move prompted by the burgeoning success she was experiencing. With relentless attention focused on the young, wide-eyed Ross, her confidence soared. By this time, each member of the Supremes was earning $250,000 annually. Ballard indulged in luxuries, owning an Eldorado Cadillac that she later upgraded to a Fleetwood, and splurging over $1,000 monthly on clothing. The press began to take notice of their lavish lifestyles.
For Wilson, the success was lifechanging for her family. “I wanted to buy a house for my mother and get her out of the projects,” Wilson said. “This was my first thing that I could do and I was so proud of it. So, I was able to buy a house. And then I said, ‘Wait just a minute now. I’m buying a house for my mother, but I need one for me.’ Diane and Flo bought one for their mother and they moved in. I said, ‘No way, I’m old enough now, I want my own place.’ So, I bought two houses. I went and told them [Motown] and the check was written out. We had no problems going and getting money. In terms of money being invested, something we knew nothing about, that really didn’t happen.”
Ross’s strategy of antagonizing and overshadowing her fellow members Wilson and Ballard, along with other girl groups, seldom resulted in negative consequences. She frequently flirted with Smokey Robinson, often making advances towards him even when his wife, Claudette, was just feet away. Ross harbored a profound jealousy and resentment towards other girl groups that achieved success and garnered attention before she and the Supremes had made their breakthrough. It would prevail even when the Supremes were on top.
Vaughn Thornton, son of the late Gladys Horton of the Marvelettes, recounts the things his mother had told him and from what she left behind in written form.
“My mother [Gladys Horton] described Diana Ross, even back then, as being feisty, dominant.”
- Vaughn Thornton, son of the late Gladys Horton of the Marvelettes
“My mother [Gladys Horton] described Diana Ross, even back then, as being feisty, dominant,” Vaughn Thornton said. “When the Marvelettes came in and got the number one hit, they put the Supremes off-balance.”
Thornton highlights that following a Motortown Revue show, Ross played a risky prank, nearly hitting Horton with a car before speeding off while making an obscene gesture. Comparable antics were also aimed at Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, as well as numerous non-Motown girl groups.
While "Miss Ross" was captivating Gordy's heart, he wasn't entirely blind to her behavior. Nevertheless, in his eyes, she could do no wrong, and even when she did, Ross knew she could escape consequences. Bradford reminisces about a delightful moment at Hitsville during a lull when the two found themselves bored. Naturally, Ross had a scheme up her sleeve.
“Diana said, ‘Let’s go rent a car and drive around,’” Bradford recalls. “I said, ‘Diana, we don’t have any money.’ We were both teenagers but we were old enough to drive. She said, ‘Girl, we can go rent a car in Motown’s name and then by the time the bill comes to Gordy, he’ll holler, but we’ll have our checks and we can pay for it.’ So that’s what we did and I’ll never forget it. We rented a yellow Chevrolet convertible and rolled around in it for a while and took it back. When the bill came in, as she said, we were able to pay. The strangest thing happened when we transferred to LA. I was the last one to come out there and there was someone driving up in yellow Rolls-Royce and who gets out but Diana Ross!”
• GORDY’S GIRL •
Responding to Ross's advances, Berry Gordy was convinced that her departure from the Supremes to pursue a solo career would be advantageous for Motown and strengthen their relationship. Gordy commonly referred to all female acts as "the girls," but by the mid-60s, this predominantly meant the Supremes. As a consequence of the intense focus, resources, and priorities placed on the Supremes, particularly on Diana Ross, numerous other female acts encountered difficulties and some even disbanded entirely.
“Diana would watch the show [Motortown Revues] and if someone had a great part in their act that people loved, she would steal it,” said Gordy. This pattern extended beyond female artists, as Diana also emulated Smokey Robinson's technique of captivating the audience.
Ross displayed her influence by positioning herself close to Gordy during performances by other artists. As Gordy provided feedback and instructions to the acts after they left the stage, Ross would often smirk dismissively or stare daggers at them by his side. By 1964, the Black press began to cover Ross and Gordy, with publications like Ebony and Jet widely circulating stories about them. The coverage in the white press followed suit, with magazines like Look and Time featuring the couple. It became evident to many that Ross was increasingly focused on her own aspirations rather than the success of the group.
Diana Ross. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Their relationship reached a pivotal moment in Manchester in 1965, when Ross declined to perform the Dean Martin standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You."
LISTEN TO “YOU’RE NOBODY TILL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU” BY THE SUPREMES
“We had our first major argument,” Gordy said in an interview for Oprah’s Master Class. “She had [sung that song] once and refused to do it the second time because the audience didn’t like it and she didn’t like it either.”
Despite numerous efforts to persuade her to sing the song and highlighting potential opportunities to perform at prestigious venues like the Copacabana, Ross remained resolute. When Gordy issued her an ultimatum—choose him or the seven hundred Brits in the audience—she stood her ground. Gordy stormed off, realizing that if she didn't comply, it could mark the end of the Supremes and her career with Motown. Defiance, even from Ross, was not something that could be tolerated.
“I walked out and my life left,” he recalled. “Because if she didn’t do it, I knew I could not manage them again. And my life was over.”
Halfway through the show, Ross launched into “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You” to Gordy’s relief. When asked why she finally relented, “She just stopped for a moment and said, ‘I did it for you,’” Gordy added in the Showtime documentary Hitsville: The Making of Motown. “It was in that moment that I realized our relationship had changed to something different.”
“It was in that moment that I realized our relationship had changed to something different.”
- Berry Gordy
• HOUSEHOLD NAMES •
While turmoil brewed behind the curtains, there were countless hearts waiting to be captivated. The Supremes embarked on a journey to refine their image, aided by Powell's charm school. Their extensive travel schedule offered opportunities for shopping excursions to find matching dresses, further solidifying their distinctive presence. Wherever they performed, they left a lasting impression. Even in England, the British press referred to them as "Negresses" as a sign of respect, albeit unaware of the implications of such language in the States. However, the Beatles remained unimpressed. When the two groups finally crossed paths in New York, George Harrison remarked that the Supremes were "so square," yet he acknowledged the influence their work had on his band.
The public adored them, and Ross, Wilson, and Ballard were swiftly becoming household names. "We were fortunate," Wilson reminisces in her autobiography Supreme Faith, "that as a Rock & Roll act, we were loved by both the older generation and the younger record buyers."
“We were fortunate that as a Rock & Roll act, we were loved by both the older generation and the younger record buyers.”
- Mary Wilson, Supreme