Hello fellow Supremes fans.  I am so sorry I haven't posted anything for a week or so. Maybe I can throw out some tidbits of info with this quick post to tide us over until I can get more posted.

1) I think we all know The Supremes had an unprecedented 12 #1 hits; starting with 1964's "Where Did Our Love Go?" & ending with 1969's "Someday We'll Be Together".

2) The Supremes never won a Grammy!

3) Only The Beatles & Elvis Presley had more number one hits than The Supremes & Elvis was a single, male, American artist & The Beatles were a British male band.

4) Ironically, Elvis Presley, The Supremes & The Beatles ALL had their last #1 hit within eight months of each other! Elvis with "Suspicious Minds", The Supremes with "Someday We'll Be Together" & The Beatles with "The Long & Winding Road"!  AND, a lot of people don't know this but Mary & Cindy didn't sing on their last #1 song (Motown's backup singers, The Andantes did), Elvis' regular band didn't back him up on his last #1 & only Paul sang on The Beatles last #1, Paul playing the piano & singing solo & John did play the bass guitar. The others were studio musicians. 

5) "Baby Love" was The Supremes biggest hit if you base it on the most weeks at Billboard's Number 1 Hits. It held it for 4 weeks.
Baby Love was also the only song to hit #1 in England until the post Diana Ross Supremes when Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, & Jean Terrell hit #1 with "Stoned Love"!

6) Mary Wilson is 20 days older than Diana Ross. Mary was born on March 6, 1944 & Diane (a) was born on March 26, 1944. Dear Florence Ballard was born on June 30, 1943. 

7) Florence Ballard had a wonderful sense of humor & also had a powerful voice. She, as Mary Wilson has often stated, didn't need music to accompany her incredible voice & range. Florence also started The Supremes, named The Supremes & was the first forced out of The Supremes in 1967 when their name was changed to Diana Ross & The Supremes. This is when Cindy Birdsong (from Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells) was brought in to replace Flo.

Thank you for checking in to my Blog & do feel free to comment on anything I post. Be well.  

Gary 

JUST A REMINDER that 44 years ago today Diana Ross left The Supremes at their farewell performance at The Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas--January 14, 1970! The resort had the distinction of hosting Elvis Presley's first Vegas appearance in 1956, and the final performance of Diana Ross and The Supremes on January 14, 1970.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
SUNDAY JANUARY 12, 2014

On this date, Berry Gordy, Jr., founded Motown Records (originally Tamla Records) in Detroit, Michigan in 1959. Berry was only 29 years old when he borrowed $800 from his family to open his Tamla label. On January 21, 1959 "Come To Me" by Marv Johnson as Tamla 101 was released. Smokey Robinson assisted Berry from the start & was signed and in 1960 Mary Wells was signed. His catalog of artists would soon make Motown/Tamla/Gordy labels the biggest selling record label in the United States. Berry Gordy, Jr. is still alive at 84 years old. His net worth is estimated at $345 million.

The Supremes (sans Diana Ross) began two weeks after Ross' final performance at The Frontier Hotel on January 14, 1970 with their first single release; UP THE LADDER TO THE ROOF. Fans were elated that the new Supremes charted first & the single did quite well reaching #10 on the US charts ( #1 on many US Radio Stations), #5 on the US R&B chart, #6 on the UK chart (their first record since 1967's Reflections) to reach the UK's Top Ten, & #8 on the Canadian Top Ten! Ross' first single followed soon thereafter which would become her signature song, REACH OUT & TOUCH SOMEBODY'S HAND. Ross' song only hit #20 on the US charts &  #7 on the US R&B charts. It was obvious that both artists had their loyal following & time would tell who would take the lead.

44 YEARS AGO THIS PAST WEEK...

... December 27, 1969 - January 2, 1970 the Number One record was: "SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER" according to "The Billboard Book of NUMBER ONE HITS". Quoting their first paragraph: "The final number one song of the 1960's was by the most successful American group of the decade--of the entire rock era, in fact. "Someday We'll Be Together" was the twelfth number one single for Diana Ross and The Supremes, and their final release before Diana left to pursue a solo career." The Supremes would continue to chart with hits such as "Up The Ladder To The Roof", "Stoned Love" (which was the ONLY record except for Baby Love) to go to Number One in England), Nathan Jones, Bad Weather, Automatically Sunshine, & more. They, however, never hit #1 again in the United States.

New Years Honors from ABC

ABC-TV's New Year's Eve broadcast included a list of the top 30 woman entertainers, and Diana Ross was #6!

 They got the graphic with her name right, but why didn't ABC use a video clip with just her instead of all three of the original Supremes? Beats me. Maybe the production assistant didn't know the difference? Or maybe was just lazy?

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 TO ALL OF MY VIEWERS!  I truly hope that each & everyone of you will have a wonderful year filled with dreams come true & good health & happiness.

I used the words 'dreams come true' in the above sentence for a reason. Mary Wilson had two best selling autobiographies. For decades Mary has told millions of her fans & friends that "Dreams do come true." She often signs her letters & cards & pictures with: Dare to Dream.

TWO weeks from today, January 14th of 1970 at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas The Supremes (Diana Ross & The Supremes) became as Ed Sullivan wrote in a telegram that was read that night: "Tonight the most successful group of the sixties becomes two of the biggest artists of the 70's as The Supremes continue with Jean Terrell & Diana Ross leaves to become a solo artist." I will never forget that night as Jean Terrell was introduced to the world as Ross' replacement. She was shy & humble. 

It is almost inconceivable that that performance was 44 years ago!