On June 12, 1977, The Supremes performed their final concert together at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, England. [1]
In early 1977, sole remaining original group member Mary Wilson announced that she would be leaving The Supremes to embark upon a solo career. [1] During one of the group's last television appearances together, on the US daytime talk show, The Mike Douglas Show , Wilson announced that she would be stepping out from the group to pursue a solo career.
As the group's touring schedule was booked months in advance, it fell that the group would be performing at one of London's top theaters in Drury Lane, on Wilson's last night as a member. [2] [1] The event was well publicized throughout the United Kingdom and was broadcast by London's Capital Radio. The show was opened by up-and-coming singer Billy Ocean.
In her second autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together , Mary Wilson recalls other songs being performed as latter day singles by the group such as "You're My Driving Wheel", "He's My Man" and "You're What's Missing in My Life". However, Wilson also states that the concert closed with "Someday We'll Be Together". Susaye Greene has stated in several on-line interviews that she does not recall the concert specifically (it was just another engagement at that time, as Scherrie and Susaye planned to continue The Supremes with a new member. The Ladies later chose Joyce Vincent-Wilson, formerly of Tony Orlando & Dawn, as their third member.) Greene also stated that Scherrie Payne took lead vocals on "Tossing and Turning", and that she herself performed "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", which had been a highlight of the group's live act for the past twelve months.
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, 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. Their breakthrough is considered to have 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 the final lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. 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.
Lynda Laurence is an American singer. The youngest daughter of Louise and Ira Tucker, a gospel songwriter, producer, and singer, Laurence's siblings are Sundray Tucker and Ira Tucker Jr.
Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme is a 1986 autobiography that features the memoirs of Mary Wilson, one of the founding members of Motown singing trio The Supremes. It was a New York Times Best Seller for months, and remains one of the best-selling rock-and-roll autobiographies of all time. The title of the book is a reference to Dreamgirls, a 1981 Broadway musical loosely based on the lives and careers of the Supremes. Dreamgirl covers the Diana Ross-led years of the group. In 1990 Wilson penned a follow-up entitled Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together that covers Wilson's life since 1970. Both books and a new afterword were included in a combined volume titled Dreamgirl & Supreme Faith: My Life as a Supreme in 2000.
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.
Former Ladies of the Supremes, or FLOS, 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.
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).
Mary, Scherrie & Susaye is the twenty-ninth and final studio album by The Supremes, released in 1976 on the Motown label. It featured the final line-up for the Supremes, composed of original Supreme Mary Wilson and latter-day members Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene. All three Supremes take leads on the album. The album was a mixture of disco dance tracks (Hi-NRG) and R&B ballads. Payne and Greene mostly took over the dance tracks while Wilson performed the ballads. The album was released in October 1976, nine months before the trio disbanded.
Partners is a 1979 album by Scherrie & Susaye released on Motown Records. Following the disbanding of the Supremes in 1977, former group members Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene recorded the album, sharing songwriting, arranging and production duties. Ray Charles performed on "Luvbug" whilst Joyce Vincent Wilson is featured on background vocals.
Mary Wilson is the debut solo album by the founding Supremes member, Mary Wilson, released on the Motown label in 1979.
Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, best known as part of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn. Wilson was later in Former Ladies of the Supremes, despite not being a member of the vocal group, although, she was considered to be the replacement for Mary Wilson of The Supremes in 1977, but with Wilson being the lone original member still in the group, management shut down the Supremes instead.
"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.
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.
"You're My Driving Wheel" is a dance/disco song by The Supremes. The song was released on September 30, 1976 as the first single from their album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye. Along with the tracks, "Let Yourself Go" and "Love I Never Knew", "You're My Driving Wheel" peaked at number five on the disco chart. On the Soul chart, the single peaked at number fifty and number eighty-five on the Hot 100.
"Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" is a song by The Supremes. The song was released in the UK in March, 1977 as the third and last single from their album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye. The song is the last official single ever released by The Supremes.