Early songs with disco elements include " You Keep Me Hangin ' On " ( The Supremes, 1966 ), " Only the Strong Survive " ( Jerry Butler, 1968 ), " Message to Love " ( Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, 1970 ), " Soul Makossa " ( Manu Dibango, 1972 ), Eddie Kendricks ' Keep on Truckin ' ( 1973 ) and " The Love I Lost " by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes ( 1973 ).

Jones has had affairs with such well-known women as Mary Wilson of The Supremes and former Miss World Marjorie Wallace.

Formed in imitative style of the Motown girl group The Supremes, the group members had gradually honed their talents with White for two years previously until they signed contracts with Uni Records.

The single " I Want You Back " was re-recorded with O ' Sullivan, as was The Supremes cover " Nathan Jones.

The group reappeared on the series in October 1967 as the newly rebilled " Diana Ross & the Supremes ", with Ballard replacement Cindy Birdsong and Ross more prominently featured.

In 1966 members of the orchestra were seen recording in the Motown studio on W. Grand Boulevard with The Supremes for the ABC-TV documentary " Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion.

* February 22 – Florence Ballard of the Supremes is released from her contract with Motown.

* November 17 – Diana Ross & the Supremes replace The Beatles ' hugely-successful " Hey Jude " at number-one in the U. S. with " Love Child "; this would be the last of five turnovers at number-one between the two most successful music acts in America during the 1960s.

* August 22 – The Supremes reach # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the first of five successive number one hits, " Where Did Our Love Go ".

* October 31 – The Supremes reach # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the second of five successive number one hits, " Baby Love ".

* December 19 – The Supremes reach # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the third of five successive number one hits, " Come See About Me ".

Until the advent of the Supremes, the sisters were the most imitated of all female singing groups and influenced many artists, including Mel Tormé, Les Paul and Mary Ford, The Four Freshmen, The McGuire Sisters, The Manhattan Dolls, The Lennon Sisters, The Pointer Sisters, The Manhattan Transfer, The Puppini Sisters, Barry Manilow, and Bette Midler who scored her first # 1 hit with her 1973 remake of " Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy ".

In personal appearances, on radio and on television, they sang with everyone from Rudy Vallee, Judy Garland and Nat " King " Cole to Jimmie Rodgers, Andy Williams, and The Supremes.

Simultaneously, the group's name was officially changed to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, to conform with the company's recent changes of The Supremes ' and The Miracles ' names to reflect their featured lead singers.

In the meantime, Berry Gordy established Motown Productions, a television subsidiary which produced TV specials for the Motown artists, including TCB with Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, Diana!

Bassist James Jamerson often played his instrument with only his index finger, and created many of the basslines apparent on Motown songs such as " You Can't Hurry Love " by The Supremes.

The label's numbering system was combined with those of Tamla and Gordy in 1982, and the label ( and company ) was purchased by MCA in 1988. Notable Motown artists have included Mary Wells, The Supremes, Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Boyz II Men, Commodores, Lionel Richie, Dazz Band, Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees, and Erykah Badu.

In some cases, Tamla-Motown would issue singles and albums released in the United States ( for example, the singles " I Second That Emotion " and " Why ( Must We Fall in Love )" by Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations ).

Destiny's Child were compared to The Supremes, a 1960s American female singing group, with which Knowles had been equated to as the Diana Ross, the frontwoman of The Supremes ; Knowles, however, dismissed the notion.

The A-side of the 12 inch single of " Tainted Love " actually featured a two-song medley, with " Tainted Love " blending into the Motown classic " Where Did Our Love Go " ( originally recorded by The Supremes, also in 1964 ).

After a couple years performing at sock hops and jubilees, the group signed with the Motown label as The Supremes, a name chosen by Ballard, on January 15, 1961.

" Wilson was also given the lead on a song on their debut album ; a song on the A ' Go Go album ; and a partial lead with Ross on " Falling in Love with Love " on the Supremes Sing Rogers and Hart album, while Ballard and Ross traded leads on " Manhattan " on the same album.

* 1939 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer ( The Supremes )

However, promotion of the album and its singles stopped abruptly when Cindy Birdsong, who had spent months as a stand-in for Supremes founder Florence Ballard, suddenly left the Bluebelles to become a full-fledged member of The Supremes.

In 1967, after three years of phenomenal success, Motown chief Berry Gordy changed the name of the group to Diana Ross & the Supremes and at Mary and Diana's request replaced Florence Ballard with Cindy Birdsong.

In 1984, after a successful reunion of The Temptations, Wilson was approached by Motown to reform the Supremes with Scherrie Payne and Cindy Birdsong, but after careful consideration and advice from Berry Gordy Jr., Wilson declined.

In 1986, Payne joined former Supremes Jean Terrell and briefly, Cindy Birdsong, to form The Former Ladies Of The Supremes or FLOS.

When Cindy left to pursue an acting career, Lynda Laurence took her place and they renamed themselves " Jean, Scherrie, & Lynda of the Supremes ", recording the excellent single " We're Back ', featuring Ali-Ollie Woodson from The Temptations.

Cynthia Ann " Cindy " Birdsong ( born December 15, 1939 ) is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.

Session singers The Andantes substituted for Mary and Cindy on many, although not on all, cuts in subsequent Diana Ross & the Supremes albums.

After leaving the Supremes, Birdsong worked as a nurse at UCLA Medical Center under her married name of Cindy Hewlett, and then went to work for Suzanne de Passe at Motown Records.

Greene was a member of The Supremes from early 1976 to summer of 1977 ( replacing Cindy Birdsong ), and performed on their last two albums, High Energy and Mary, Scherrie & Susaye.

Looking for a replacement for his protegée, singer Diana Ross, who was leaving the group she had fronted during most of the 1960s, The Supremes, for a solo career, Gordy first signed Terrell to Motown as a solo artist, but then decided to drop her into The Supremes as Ross's replacement alongside continuing, fellow members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong.

SuperStar approached her with the idea of reforming the Supremes, to which she agreed, and called on former Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong.

The Andantes were used as vocal substitutes for Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong on many of The Supremes ' recordings done in 1968 and 1969.

She is the youngest daughter of the late Louise Tucker and the late Ira Tucker, gospel songwriter, producer, and lead singer of The Dixie Hummingbirds, and sister of Sundray Tucker and Ira Tucker Jr. She was a member of The Supremes from April 1972 through October 1973, replacing Cindy Birdsong, who left the trio to have a baby and begin raising her family.

In 1972, Mary Wilson, who chose to continue the legacy of The Supremes after the departure of Florence Ballard in 1967 and lead singer Diana Ross in 1970, was about to temporarily lose another member of the group, Cindy Birdsong, who was expecting a baby.

Laurence ( once again replacing Cindy Birdsong ) joined Jean Terrell and Scherrie Payne to form The Former Ladies of the Supremes in 1986.

The book covers the story of Wilson's life from her childhood, to meeting Florence Ballard and Diana Ross and forming the Primettes ( later The Supremes ), to the group's later international success and personal conflicts in the 1960s, Ballard's replacement with Cindy Birdsong in 1967, the development of Ross as a solo act, and Ross ' split from the group in 1969-1970.

Motown 25 was a showcase for the highly anticipated reunion of the Supremes: Diana Ross, Mary Wilson ( original member Florence Ballard had died in 1976 ), and Supremes replacement Cindy Birdsong.

After Birdsong departed from the group to join The Supremes in 1967, under the advice of Vicki Wickham, the group changed its look, musical direction and style and reformed as Labelle, in 1971.

By May, it was agreed that Birdsong would become Ballard's permanent replacement, but Ballard could continue to perform with the Supremes on a " trial " basis.

The " New Supremes " – Wilson, Terrell, and Birdsong – continued their hit-making process from 1970 through 1972 with hits like " Up the Ladder to the Roof ", " Stoned Love ", " River Deep – Mountain High " ( with the Four Tops ), " Nathan Jones ", and " Floy Joy ".

In 1967, Hendryx, LaBelle and Dash were shocked to discover that Birdsong, had secretly joined the Supremes after Florence Ballard was ousted from the group by Motown.

Birdsong first met The Supremes when the group opened for them in 1963.

Starting in 1967, Birdsong began to appear as a stand-in vocalist for Supremes founder Florence Ballard when Ballard's bout with alcoholism had caused her to miss important gigs.

In July 1967, Birdsong abruptly left the Bluebelles to join The Supremes as Ballard's official replacement.

Birdsong said that the remaining Bluebelles were angry with her for not telling them about joining the Supremes and refused to talk to her for years.

Birdsong continued to perform with the Supremes when she became pregnant with her son, David, Birdsong officially leaving the Supremes in April 1972, after completing the Floy Joy album's recording sessions.

After a brief hiatus, Birdsong returned to the Supremes in late 1973, replacing a pregnant Laurence.

Birdsong remained with the Supremes until she retired in February 1976, frustrated with her dealings with Mary Wilson and Wilson's then-husband, Pedro Ferrer, who was serving as the group's manager.

During that period, Birdsong contributed to two albums: The Supremes ( 1975 ) and High Energy ( 1976 ).