Former Ladies of the Supremes | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | FLOS |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spinoff of | The Supremes |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
| Website | scherrieandsusayeformersupremes |
Former Ladies of the Supremes, or FLOS, [1] is a female vocal group that was originally formed in 1986 by former Supremes members Jean Terrell, Cindy Birdsong and Scherrie Payne. It has also included former members Lynda Laurence and Susaye Greene. Though they were not Supremes members, singers Sundray Tucker, Freddi Poole and Joyce Vincent have also sung with the group following the departure of Terrell.
In 1976, it was rumored in Jet magazine that former Supremes Jean Terrell and Cindy Birdsong had contacted Florence Ballard to form a new singing group, however Ballard's death in February of that year quickly cancelled their plan. [2]
In 1985, eight years after the group officially broke up in 1977, Scherrie Payne was signed to SuperStar International Records, a Los Angeles based record company. Her then-partner, Ronnie Phillips, approached her with the idea of reforming the Supremes, to which she agreed, and asked Birdsong and Mary Wilson to join the new Supremes group. Wilson declined, instead opting to forge a solo career, while Birdsong agreed and persuaded Terrell to join the new Supremes group. At this time, Wilson was involved in a lawsuit due rights of the Supremes name, [3] and won the lawsuit in 1987 to use the name. [4]
However due to contractual difficulties over the ownership of the name, they decided to create a spinoff group of the Supremes using the abbreviation "FLOS", for the pseudonym "Former Ladies of the Supremes". [5] Before they began their career, Birdsong briefly left the group for a solo career. [5] Former member of the Supremes, Lynda Laurence, joined the lineup, replacing Cindy Birdsong just as she did in 1972, and for SuperStar International Records, the group released the song "We're Back". [5] However, SuperStar International Records did not have national distribution, and the song later failed to chart and the label soon folded afterwards. The group began to perform and tour, making their debut performance at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in 1987. [6] By 1989, Rick Gianatos brought the group to Motorcity Records, an record label owned by Ian Levine. [5] At the label, they recorded a cover of the Supremes songs' and other songs such as "Crazy bout' the Guy", "Stoned Love", "I Want to Be Loved", and "Hit and Miss", and this would continue until Motorcity folded. [5]
The lineup changed again, when in 1993, Terrell left and was replaced by Sundray Tucker. [7] [8]
In 1996, Tucker left the trio and Terrell made a brief comeback to the group, reuniting with both Payne and Laurence for two special concerts held at the Industry Cafe in Los Angeles. This reunion ended with the recruitment of Freddi Poole in July 1996. [5] Poole, an established singer who had worked with the likes of Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Sammy Davis Jr., and stayed with the group until September 2009. In that same year, Wilson, sued the group. The lawsuit was filed against Laurence, Payne, Kaaren Ragland, and Hollis Paysuer, who were using the Supremes name. In 1999, she lost the lawsuit against the group after suing them for using the Supremes name, and same as with Ragland and Paysuer. [9] [10] [11] In 2000, Payne and Laurence joined Diana Ross on the brief but highly publicized and later cancelled, Return To Love tour, billed as Diana Ross & the Supremes. [12] [13] [14] The tour made TV appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show , The Today Show , VH1 Divas Live, and The View . In 2005, the trio was honored by the Hollywood History Museum. The museum presented an exhibit showing their contribution to the Supremes' legacy and their FLOS' history. [15] Payne and Laurence donated stage gowns and shoes from their personal collection for the display along with photos, record albums, tour books, and posters. [15] Although recording sessions was sporadic during her tenure, Poole contributed to the group's 2006 single "Sisters United (We’re Taking Control)". [15] In 2007, Joyce Vincent Wilson of Tony Orlando and Dawn briefly filled in for Poole for a tour in Japan, after Poole's mother's death, and in that same year, their CD was released, featuring solo leads of the group, and did a remake of Payne's 1984 solo single "One Night Only". [15]
On September 29, 2009, it was reported on Payne and Laurence's website that Poole had left the group, later to join female trio the Three Degrees. With Freddi's departure, Vincent joined the group, replacing Poole. Notably, Vincent had once been considered as a replacement in an official grouping of the Supremes following Wilson's departure. It was decided by Motown that the group should not continue without an original member, and the Supremes disbanded in 1977. [5] [16]
On October 6, 2017, it was reported via Facebook that after 31 years in the group, Laurence had departed the group and was replaced by Susaye Greene. [17] Greene had been a member of the Supremes from early 1976 to summer of 1977 (replacing Cindy Birdsong), and performed on their albums "High Energy" and "Mary, Scherrie & Susaye".
The group continues to tour. In December 2018, the group released their first recent music together, the four track Christmas-themed "A Supreme Christmas EP", followed by the single "Unconditional Love" in 2019.[ citation needed ] In that same year, they participated in the Oak Leaf Festival. [18]
In 2022, Payne, Laurence and Greene performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, as one of the Motown-based artists highlighting the performance, in honor of the label. [19]
Scherrie Payne has remained part of FLOS throughout its tenure. The group has also included Jean Terrell, Cindy Birdsong, Lynda Laurence, Sundray Tucker, Freddi Poole, Joyce Vincent Wilson, and Susaye Greene.
| 1986 | Scherrie Payne | Jean Terrell | Cindy Birdsong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1992 | Lynda Laurence | ||
| 1993–1996 | Sundray Tucker | ||
| 1996–2009 | Freddi Poole | ||
| 2009–2017 | Joyce Vincent Wilson | ||
| 2017–present | Susaye Greene |
Superstar International Records
Motorcity Records
Driving Wheel Records
Later material
"*Unconditional Love" (2019)
Although the three groups above did tour together extensively throughout Europe in 1997 on the same bill, the recordings featured on the above compact disc album were used from three separate projects of previously released live shows from each group, digitally remastered and edited by Steve Weaver.
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal band, with 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. It is said that their breakthrough made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Billboard ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time.
Mary Wilson was an American singer. She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all-time. The trio reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 with 12 of their singles, ten of which feature Wilson on backing vocals.
Scherrie Ann Payne is an American singer. Payne is best known as a member and co-lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. Because of her powerful voice and petite stature (5'2"), Payne is sometimes referred to as "the little lady with the big voice". Payne is the younger sister of singer Freda Payne. Payne continues to perform, both as a solo act and as a part of the "Former Ladies of the Supremes" (FLOS).
Susaye Greene is an American singer and songwriter. She was the last official member to join the Motown girl group The Supremes, remaining in the group during its final year of existence from 1976 to 1977. She is a successful songwriter as well, having written hit records for Michael Jackson, Deniece Williams, and many others.
Velma Jean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in 1970.
Lynda Laurence is an American singer.
The Supremes is a 2000 box set compilation of the material by Motown's most popular act of the 1960s, The Supremes. The set covers The Supremes' entire recording history, from its first recordings as The Primettes in 1960 to its final recordings in 1976.
The '70s Anthology is a 2002 two compact disc set of many of the songs recorded by the 1970s groupings of The Supremes. The set features 42 tracks, of which 10 had never been released, and 6 were appearing in extended or unedited forms.
High Energy is the twenty-eighth studio album by American girl group the Supremes, released in 1976 on the Motown label. The album is the first to feature Susaye Greene; former member of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove; and is notable for featuring the last Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 pop hit for the group, "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking". Of their 1970s releases, High Energy is the second-highest charting album on the US Billboard 200, the first being Right On (1970). In Canada, High Energy is the highest-charting Supremes album since TCB (1968).
The Supremes is the twenty-seventh studio album by The Supremes, released in 1975 on Motown Records.
Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, best known as part of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn.
Freddi Poole; sometimes billed as Freddie Pool is an American singer, known best for her work with the Former Ladies of the Supremes and the Three Degrees.
"I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking" is a disco-styled soul single composed by the Holland brothers Eddie and Brian, members of the former Holland–Dozier–Holland team and was released as a single by Motown vocal group The Supremes in 1976 on the Motown label. It was the first single since "Your Heart Belongs to Me" in 1962 to feature four Supremes. It is also notable for being the last top forty single the group would score before they disbanded in 1977.
This Is The Story is a box set, released in 2006, comprising The Supremes' albums from the period 1970-1973, featuring new lead singer Jean Terrell, along with Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong and Lynda Laurence In addition to the five studio albums Right On, New Ways But Love Stays, Touch, Floy Joy, and The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb, the set also includes thirteen tracks from the group's unreleased 1972 album, Promises Kept. Not included from the same time period are the three duet albums recorded with Four Tops; these were issued in full in 2009 on the 2-CD compilation Magnificent - The Complete Studio Duets, which included 13 previously unreleased recordings.
At Their Best is a 1978 album by The Supremes. It includes most of their singles from 1970 through 1976 and featured, at the time, two never-before released songs: "The Sha-La Bandit" and "Love Train". It was released first in the United Kingdom in February 1978, including 14 tracks. It was later released in the US in June 1978, with some of the tracks removed and the track order amended.
"High Energy" is a dance/disco song by The Supremes. Released as the album's title-track single in 1976 from their penultimate album High Energy, this energic, sound-bursting tune featured lead vocals by Susaye Greene. Greene, new to the group, was brought in to dub her vocals although Scherrie Payne had already recorded lead vocals prior to Greene's entry into the trio. As such, this was the final single to feature former member Cindy Birdsong's vocals, and the sixth and final single of the group to feature four members. Written by Harold Beatty, Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr., the song peaked at position nine on the dance/disco charts later that same year.
The Return to Love Tour was a 2000 concert tour by American singing group Diana Ross and the Supremes.
The Supremes ('70s): Greatest Hits and Rare Classics is a 1991 compilation album by The Supremes, released on the Motown label. The compilation features a majority of the group's 1970's hits, as well as one solo song by Jean Terrell "I Had To Fall In Love", which was released in 1978 on A&M Records, and two solo tracks by Scherrie Payne, "When I Looked At Your Face" and "Another Life From Now". Three tracks "Everybody's Got the Right to Love" "Floy Joy" and "Automatically Sunshine" also appear in alternate versions.
Let Yourself Go, the follow-up box set to This Is the Story: The '70s Albums, Vol. 1 – 1970–1973: The Jean Terrell Years, comprises The Supremes' albums from 1974 to 1977, featuring original member Mary Wilson, longtime member Cindy Birdsong, newest member Scherrie Payne, and final Supreme Susaye Greene. Included in this set are The Supremes' final three studio albums released in their entirety on CD for the first time. Also included are several unreleased and alternate takes.
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