1 of 1- aflem
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A Supremes Song In Which Florence Ballard Sang Lead
I can't think of any Supremes song that didn't have Diana Ross singing lead. But before they became the Motown group that had back-to-back-to-back #1 hits, they were known within the company as the "No Hit Supremes."
I often wondered about the other two members of the group - Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. And then I came across this tune from 1961, called "Buttered Popcorn." It's not a very good song, but it does feature Ballard on vocals and it proves she really could belt out a tune. It's well remembered that at the height of their success, she ran into trouble with alcohol and was forced to leave the group, was never able to stage a comeback and died of a heart attack in poverty at age 32.
I just thought it might interest some here to hear what a non-Diana Ross lead sounded like. Other than her singing "Baby, Baby" or some other background filler, I don't think I've ever heard her voice before.
- Roman
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Re: A Supremes Song In Which Florence Ballard Sang Lead
Listening to Buttered Popcorn got me to searching as to whether Flo might have cut some more memorable material. While there doesn't appear to be anything else with The Supremes, she did cut a solo album in '68 that wasn't released until '01 (according to Wikipedia). I found one track on YouTube and it's pretty good. The first few bars are especially intriguing as it appears Flo had found a disco vibe way before the fad actually hit. Too bad she couldn't make a go of it as she might have found her niche.
Last edited by Roman (November 23, 2020 6:11 pm)
- Lorne
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Re: A Supremes Song In Which Florence Ballard Sang Lead
She definitely had a great voice. Here's another Supremes song where she sang lead.
- aflem
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Re: A Supremes Song In Which Florence Ballard Sang Lead
What a shame she never got her chance in the spotlight and her addiction defeated any chance she had to make it.
This video purports to showcase Mary Wilson singing as a Supreme, but I'm not sure it was entirely from that era. Another great set of pipes, and little wonder that she was so angry about Diana Ross getting all the glory. Both Flo and Mary had a lot of talent but were relegated to singing "baby baby" in the background for all their hitmaking years.
Last edited by aflem (November 23, 2020 8:27 pm)
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