Born
in Detroit on 30 June 1943, Florence was the eighth of Jesse and Lurlee
Ballard's thirteen children. Almost from the start, music played an
important part in her life. Her father was her first teacher. Even though
he spent most of his time working in the automobile factory to support his
family, Jesse Ballard was never too tired to pursue his hobby of playing
the guitar
and singing. Florence showed a strong interest in his music. In turn, he
would play special songs and teach her to sing them. These early lessons
made a deep impression. Soon she was out singing her father. Her talent
quickly earned her a reputation in the neighborhood.
In the Brewster Housing Project
where the Ballards lived, Florence delighted the neighbors with her
clear, powerful voice as she casually sang the hits played on the radio.
Her musical gift was hard to go unnoticed. As she grew older she found an
outlet for her singing in school music classes and choirs. While in her
early teens, Florence's career was set in motion. Two of her neighbors,
Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, sang in an upcoming group called the
Primes (later to become the Temptations). They brought her to the,
attention of their manager, Milton Jenkins, who was so impressed with the
14-year-old's voice that he asked her to perform as a soloist along with
the Primes. After Florence appeared with this group in a few engagements,
Jenkins knew he had found an outstanding talent.
Since groups were so popular in
the late fifties, he suggested that Florence form a sister group to the
Primes with himself as their manager. Florence liked the idea and
immediately asked her friend, Mary Wilson, to be a member of the group.
Betty McGlown and Mary's friend, Diana Ross, were also recruited. After
gaining their parent's permission, the four teenagers, in the spring of
1959, became officially known as the Primettes. They began rehearsals with
Florence as the lead singer.
The girls had their work cut
out for them and approached it with zeal. They spent as much time as
possible after school and on weekends learning songs, rehearsing
harmonies, and perfecting their look. Jenkins found the girls so
well-rehearsed that he made a special effort to promote them. As a result,
the Primettes were performing at record hops, talent shows, and special
engagements. As polished an act as they were, however, the Primettes
frequently performed without pay. But on the positive side, they gained
valuable experience and a local following.
Life was not without its
difficulties during these early stages of Florence's group. Sometimes,
just getting everyone together at the same time for rehearsals presented a
major challenge. If a group member was needed at home for chores, or if a
girl's parents felt she was spending more time at singing than on her
schoolwork, her attendance at rehearsals would be limited or halted until
the obligation was satisfied. Then there was the problem of finding a
replacement for Betty McGlown, who left the group. Fortunately, Barbara
Martin was quickly brought in to fill the gap. Soon the Primettes were
looking for a record company. Diana Ross contacted her former neighbor,
Smokey Robinson, who was singing with the Miracles.
Through him she arranged for
the Primettes to audition with Berry Gordy of Motown Records. After
listening to the eager teenagers, Gordy told them to come back after they
had graduated from high school. The girls did not let this brush-off take
away their enthusiasm. They were so intrigued by Motown and its artists
that they visited the studio whenever possible, becoming almost permanent
fixtures there. Finally, they were allowed to perform simple background
parts on recordings such as hand claps. While busy opening doors for
themselves at Motown, the Primettes also kept an eye out for any record
company willing to sign them. Luck soon struck - or so they thought - when
they landed a contract with a small label, Lupine Records. On this label,
they released "Tears of Sorrow" and "Pretty Baby."
Both were flops.
In 1961, Gordy signed the
Primettes to a contract with Motown. Shortly after their first single,
"I Want A Guy," was released, Barbara Martin dropped out of the
group. Gordy decided to let the group remain a trio. Although everyone
knew that Florence had the stronger, more developed voice, Gordy decided
to make Diana the lead singer because she had a sound he believed would
"cross over" and appeal to white audiences. While Diana was the
official lead singer, she, Florence, and Mary still shared leads on
recordings as well as in live performances. For example, their second
record, "Who's Lovin' You," featured Diana as the lead singer
but it was the flip side, "Buttered Popcorn," with Florence on
lead, that got all the attention. As several writers noted, this song
could have been a hit but for some curious reason was not promoted by
Motown.
Several changes in the group
altered the course of popular
music. Shortly after Barbara's departure, the Primettes were
renamed the Supremes. Florence chose the name from a list of possibilities
because, in her words, "I liked the way it sounded." At first,
neither the new name nor the trio status made any difference. Within the
next two years the Supremes released six records, all of which were
failures. The group was jokingly referred to around Motown as the "no
hit Supremes." But the jokes soon stopped. In June 1964, the Supremes
released "Where Did Our Love Go." Within three weeks the song
had climbed to the top of the national record charts. It began a string of
five consecutive number one hits in a one-year period which included
"Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," and
"Back in My Arms Again." The Supremes had struck gold. They
advanced from the bottom of the roster to become the most important act at
Motown. Between 1964 and 1967, the group had ten number one records on the
national music
charts. Their eighteen albums released during this period were
also top sellers. They were the number one American recording group. In
addition to appearing on every major national television variety show and
playing to sold out audiences at the choicest concert venues throughout
the world, the Supremes performed commercials for Coca-Cola, public
service organizations, Arid Deodorant, and even had a loaf of bread named
after them. What made the group succeed was a combination of chemistry,
image, and musical style.
The group's chemistry was the product
of years of personal involvement. Florence, Diana, and Mary were close
friends who lived out their girlhoods together and loved each other as
sisters. They shared the same vision, spent years perfecting and bringing
it to reality, and loved what they were doing. This emotional involvement
and unity of purpose is what made the three click as a group. It generated
the electricity and perfect harmony which radiated throughout their
performances.
If chemistry was one ingredient
of the Supremes' success, their image was another. Their image was shaped
out of contradictions. Here were three young black women straight out of
Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects, who had grown up in low-income
surroundings-is. But there was something about their svelte figures,
tasteful wardrobe, and the graceful manner in which they moved and spoke,
that denied their background and suggested the finest upbringing.
Then there was the music. The
Supremes took rhythm and blues, which, in the sixties was an exclusively
black form of music, and stylized it with a pop flair. The result was a
new sound that appealed to a broad audience, crossing social, age, racial,
and cultural categories. And this flew sound helped make the Supremes
international stars.
Playing the definitive role in
the group's success were the young
women themselves. Each contributed something unique to the
group. Diana's enthusiasm and Mary's charm blended with Florence's quiet
dignity to give the Supremes their mystique.
Florence also stood out in a
different way. She had a wonderful sense of humor that never failed to
touch those around her. Perhaps it was for this reason that the Supremes'
writers would create funny lines for her in the group's stage act. During
live performances, she always managed to interject a comment at just the
right moment which never failed to bring the house clown with laughter.
As the Supremes reached the
peak of popularity in 1967, Florence left the group. She was replaced by
Cindy Birdsong. The group was renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes. The
official explanation for Florence's departure was that she wanted to spend
more time with her family. Later on, the cause of her leaving would become
the subject of much rumor and controversy.
After a brief rest, Florence
started a new phase of her life. She married Thomas Chapman in February
1968. A month later she signed a two-year contract with ABC Records.
George Kerr, a former Motown producer, produced her first single, "It
Doesn't Matter How I Say It." This happy-go-lucky tune was cute, had
a teenage innocence and a catchy beat. But despite these features, the
song went nowhere on the sales charts due to poor distribution and
promotion. Meanwhile, Florence put the finishing touches on her debut
album. Titled "You Don't Have To," the album was never released.
Instead, another single, "Love Ain't Love," was released in the
fall of 1968. Produced by Bob Bateman, also from Motown, the record made a
showing on the local charts in Detroit. But like the first single,
"Love Ain't Love" failed to garner any success. It, too, was
inadequately distributed and promoted.
Despite the problem with her
records, Florence made personal appearances and was well received by the
public. She performed in Atlantic City, appeared on several television
shows on the east coast, and was the opening act for Wilson Pickett. In
October 1968, she rode in a Chicago parade with comedian Godfrey
Cambridge. After the birth of her twins, Michelle and Nicole, she
continued to work, performing with Bill Cosby at the Auditorium Theatre in
Chicago and at President Richard Nixon's inauguration party.
Around mid-1969, her career
came to a standstill. Much of her time and energy were taken up with
several lawsuits which she had initiated. Also, her growing family added a
new responsibility to her life. A third daughter, Lisa, was born in 1972.
Though her life was busier and more complicated than ever, Florence was
not deterred from setting her career back in order. The media kept a
watchful eye on her life and gave periodic reports.
By late spring 1975, she was
ready to renew her career. She sang to a full house at Detroit's Ford
Auditorium on 25 June 1975, receiving standing ovations. Her lawsuit
against her former attorney was settled and she received a large cash
settlement. She reconciled with her husband, bought a new house, and made
several television appearances. Her life was busier and happier than it
had been in several years. She was back on top. However, her health took a
turn for the worse. She was stricken with a sudden illness and had to be
rushed to the hospital. A day later, on 22 February 1976, she quietly
passed away at the age of 31.
Though she departed this life
before she could renew her career, Florence continues to live through the
wonderful legacy of the Supremes.
