That face she made after the line "and Flo, she don't know" is classic...

Exactly people become brainwashed by other people opinions but in mine Diana's voice fit the music they were making perfectly and was so unique to this day as soon as you hear Diana you recognize that voice; Flo's voice without Diana's and Mary's unimpressive to me and Ive heard many recording on KZfaq both Flo and Mary could sing but not standout unique voice of Diana's but together their vocal harmonies were second to none but alone on Diana stands out

The Best,

❤

And 2021

Evrybody cause this vidéo was here just 6 mounth ago.

first time I saw these old tapes

She's my aunt too (my great aunt - my grandmother's sister). Guess we are related :)

Omg you both must be proud of your aunt. She was one of a kind.

@@angela79604 Who was your grandmother? There were a lot of Ballard siblings.

@Ramardo T. Hunt My grandmother is the oldest of the only 2 still living out of 13. Geraldine.

@@angela79604 Oh wow I read about her in Mary Wilson's autobiography.

Because they rarely harmonized----too much Diana....

It worked out for quite some time.

It worked out great! This was almost sixty years ago and people are still watching them! ♥️♥️♥️

All 3 of them were beautiful

thats a fact

Well, it worked out long enough for them to become the most successful American vocal group in musical history!

Oh, if she had lived, she would be a GREAR comedianne..And "black don't crack" so she probbably would still look youngish in 2021.

@@shmuli9 She was a fantastic singer too with soul. And yes I do believe she wouldn't have shown her age even now. DR always looked older and Mary Wilson still looked young for her age. DR hasn't aged well at all. But Florence Ballard will be forever young forever beautiful ❤

Flo was bold and sassy for those times. The first time she quipped a unplanned joke Diana and Mary were terrified, until the crowd roared with laughter and Berry decided to leave it in the show. He wasn't happy but the audience was so he allowed it. Flo was a crowd pleaser - point blank, period.

@@ceeceetracey9839 yes flo certainly was funny and brought comedy in as well as her fantastic soulful voice and beauty...berry gordy did Florence Ballard wrong and DR.. she stole her thunder in my opinion...

Flo had a great sense of humor, no doubt.

Original recorded music was used, with live singing. So much better than lip syncing.

@@stevie68a Since I'm older than dirt, I know. The first time I met Mary Wilson, they were the No Hit Supremes. Mary was about 19 years old then.

yes and their harmonies are one of their claims to fame

@@ceeceetracey9839 Thanks...Mary Wilson was a friend of mine. I knew their harmonies...and style/class was their claim to fame....even though so many other voices were added to the mix later on....and Mary and Florence's voices were dialed back in many of the recordings....almost to the point of not hearing them.

@@USNAVDC this is one of the reasons they were so offended by Ross's behavior later on. Because they worked hard together in those early years to perfect that sound.

Auntie Flo was my favorite too.

Flo was always my favorite.

Florence Ballard, la MEJOR de las Supremes.

@Robert A. Lofgren Jr. The BEST of the Supremes

Florence was a "diamond in the rough", simply needed some polishing. RIP Flo

@Robert Mike Douglas had Mary on when she debut "Red Hot" in 1979. He even danced with her as she closed out the song.

@@DetroitLives313 It seemed like they were friends.

@@DetroitLives313 I do remember that!! RIP Mike Douglas & Florence Ballard.🎤🎤🎤🎶🎶🎶📺

Yea I noticed that. I never heard them speak before and once I heard them speak I can understand why the mikes were turned down.

SO SAD... that Flo had died????? Some to this day think she was murdered.??... it breaks our hearts..

I know everybody dies, but I thought Mary would would live into her 80s.

Dear JLJ: Absolutely ...that's when they were their best...Just being the Supremes!

This title should in fact read The Supremes if the date 1965 is accurate! It didn't become Diana Ross and the Supremes until 68' and Florence never sang under that marquee name!!

So did I

I didnt grow up in their era either but I'm a huge fan of the ORIGINAL Supremes, Flo being my favorite.

:)

SAM THE SHAM They was terrific!!

The Supreme brought their talent through the front door of Hitsville. Motown developed their talent. Voice, moves, diction, deportment, $ for clothes, etc. And the girls worked and worked some more. This whole thing was no accident..... It turned out to be a great gift to the popular music world. Can't duplicate it because it's too real/honest.

Your pimps always bragged about how you were able to raise your legs up in the air and keep them there for days Samantha. Why should you be so amazed that the Supremes could do the same with their hands sweetie?

I saw a clip somewhere were one of them was talking about The Temptations helping the with their choreography. It makes sense. Love how the different Motown groups helped each other out.

"What the world needs now, is love, sweet love."

Florence seemed to have a real genuine connection with the audience. Down to earth and caring

@@Texaslawhorn Yes, i read that alot

That was sooo cute!!

Branner Yes exactly. This is what this 9 year old fell in love with back then. You can see they were still in tuned to each other. Success messed up this group big time.

Yes, the Supremes were probably the first "girl group" that people knew their names. I suppose they might have deduced Ronnie Spector. Actually, apart from the Beatles, probably the first group EVER (female or male) to be known by their individual names, not just "the Chiffons" or "the Rolling Stones".

Has any1 noticed that Diana Ross sings w/ her eyes as well as of course her voice. To me Mary Wilson favors Gladys Knight when G was young.

Florence had a great smile 🙂

Yes she was honey...

I know right...wow!

she has that effect on people

@@ceeceetracey9839 not me, it was DIANA that " KEPT ME HANGING ON".

You said it! This is a wonderful unfiltered performance...so nice to see the raw talent of the original trio 👏🏼

My mum did that face when she was nonplussed....

Wow you're welcome.

@Lecuyer Dooley: Yes, the group was truly great at that time! But we know it doesn't always stay that way. When Florence's solo performances were cut, I wish she had looked into options: another record deal, or stayed on with Mary to bring the Supremes into the seventies. Instead Florence decided to self-destruct...unwise choice.

@@michellekirkendall818 That's not accurate. Florence had a solo deal with ABC Records and recorded an album that was ultimately shelved by ABC. She was not allowed to mention any connection to the Supremes due to her severance agreement with Motown, and that severely limited her ability to promote herself. Her money was mismanaged by an unstable lawyer, leaving her practically bankrupt. Given that Motown had basically fired her from the Supremes, there was no way for Florence to return to the group in 1970 to replace Diana because Berry Gordy would not have allowed that.

@@lecuyerdooley1084 I meant that if she had not allowed herself to be ousted from the Supremes, she COULD HAVE stayed with Mary, performing into the seventies. In her general release from Motown, they offered her a solo contract with she refused (David Ruffin accepted his after leaving the Tempts; and was moderately successful). She signed away her royalties for 15,000.00 (2,500 a year) was paid 164,000.00 for nine years of work with the Supremes! She was never going to be able to promote her ABC recordings; you can't go on the talk show and promote it, because the host already knows you've been kicked out. Again, knowing that Ross was scheduled to leave (as early as 1966; yet she stayed until 1970) hang in there with Mary....yet she decided to self-destruct; skipping rehearsals, drunkenness on stage, sticking an overweight stomach out of a too tight pantsuit...she made many mistakes (including her marriage) and today her lovely daughters don't have a DAMN THING!

@@michellekirkendall818 I don't like this victim blaming you are engaged in. Yes, people can make mistakes, and Flo made some. But she wasn't just an alcoholic -- most alcoholics aren't. Alcohol and drugs are self medication for emotional and physical traumas. We now know the horrible emotional trauma Flo suffered as a teenager. Her story illustrates how, although people say "get over it", some never are able to do so. Even when the Supremes were flying high, Flo was unable to fully enjoy it because emotionally she was still damaged from the rape. And she was progressively unhappy with how the Supremes became a solo star with silent background singers. She was a hurt person all around, and no amount of anything would have made her stay because as Mary says in her book, deep down Flo didn't want to stay in that group. It had become a source of much disappointment and heartache, another betrayal, another reason to drink to numb those feelings. I am also not cool with labeling her marriage a mistake, first because I wasn't there, do not know the particulars, and cannot judge other people's relationships. One thing I do know is that her children were not accidents, and her marriage brought them into her life to give it new meaning at a very, very dark time. Also, where do you get the statement that Motown offered Flo a solo contract? Berry Gordy fired her from the Supremes, very different from what happened with David Ruffin -- the other Tempts fired him from their group. Gordy wanted nothing to do with Flo; I don't think he offered her anything but a settlement from his company.

@@lecuyerdooley1084 Where did you get your facts from? I have read six or seven Motown books: the first was one I purchased from the bookstore when IT WAS FIRST printed in 1986: Mary Wilson's "Dreamgirl: My Life As A Supreme." Instead of people enjoying the tremendous music of the Motown Sound, they're still "Diana Ross hating" fifty plus years later! I have been a Motown fan since the age of nine; I am 67 years old. Since it's so important to you and others to continue talking about "who did what to Flo" I say, read the memoirs! And, their are other groups that had similar problems; whether contractual, or otherwise, who managed to get record deals with other labels. I am tired of the "prayer and rest in heaven" emojis! Mary stayed (again, from what I READ, Ross was scheduled to leave as early as 1966, but chickened out). What else do you need to know about this subject? What about the great music Florence made with the group? Get over it! In my opinion, I don't think she was clear thinking when she married; I think it was A rebound reflex...but you're right, I wasn't there! Let's get on with Motown's great music!

Well let's face it, you are looking at "time and money" that got invested in this group. This type of time and money did not get invested with Martha and the Vandellas or the Marvelettes, both groups were more talent superior to the Supremes but did not get the additional grooming that the Supremes got!!

This was in November 1965. Their first Copacabana show was 4 months earlier in July.

The Supremes were harmonizing to songs like this before that. Theres a part in Dreamgirls where Mary mentions that while in that Dick Clark caravan of stars (where did our love go was unexpectedly climbing the charts while they were out on the road) he was surprised to find them warming up before a concert to this type of song. I cant remember the name of the song. I'll have to look in the book.

@@ceeceetracey9839 Yeah they were, I believe it was 'I Am Woman' from Funny Girl. They were singing that and 'People' in the caravan show at the time.

you're welcome

This is UNBELIEVABLE!!! Thank You ever so much for posting this gem!!! Ladies and Gentlmen!! : THE SUPREMES!!!!

you're welcome.

I almost busted a gut when I saw that. It's the "that's annoying, but I will go with it" face...

Similar to her expression when they performed it on "Hullabaloo" but even funnier!

The harmony was so on point with the original Supremes! This recording is a great example. After Flo was fired (😔) and replaced with Cindy Birdsong, the harmony was never the same again; when it was distinctive, it was The Adantes...not Mary and Cindy.

You're very welcome

When Flo was out the Group you couldn't hear than Sexy Surprno Voice of hers helping to make Daina Skeaky Voice sound better the harmony just wasn't the Same RIP Flo Blonde Ballard !!! Barry shouldve Treated her Fair

Mary and flo was the best

THey were never able to recapture that sound and they know it. Mary and Diana knew it and they worked on their own individual sounds to try to make up for some of what was lost with Flo but it didnt work.

Me too!

They almost sounded better than their records when singing live

@JayArchangell Yes, that was a sweet move. Pity relations weren't always that cordial.

you're welcome

Actually, the song that Flo sang that was taken away was "People"

@@lecuyerdooley1084 That's right now that you mention it. My bad. Thanks for the correction! But actually, I'm glad Diana didn't sing that song. Or did she? I'll have to go back and look. If she did, I still saw nothing but joy in every song that Flo sang.

@@ADQue-vq7tb this is before berry started tearing them apart

WRONG!! IT WAS "PEOPLE!!:😮

@@lewiscarey1593 Someone beat you to this correction, Smart Alec, 3 years ago, lol. Thanks though.

One of my very top Supremes' favorites. Did you notice how Mary & Flo kept the harmonies going on the 3rd verse when they should have been in unison saying "no,no,no.......no,no,no ooooooohhh. And it's totally fine with me because it caught me by surprise, & I had a big smile on my face . Great song & yes, great group !!!

you're welcome.