" The Supremes"

The Supremes were an American female singing group, and the most successful vocal group during the sixties, second only to The Beatles.[1] Active from 1959 until 1977, the Supremes performed, at various times, doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes and disco. The Supremes were the most commercially successful of the Motown Records' signature acts, and charted twelve American number-one hits between 1964 and 1969.[2] Many of their singles were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The mid-1960s crossover success of the Supremes paved the way for future black soul and R&B acts in gaining mainstream audiences.
The Supremes formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 and began as a quartet called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit,[3] were the sister act to The Primes (with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who would go on to form The Temptations).[3] In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes. Martin left in early 1962, and Ross, Ballard and Wilson carried on as a trio. Achieving success in the mid-1960s with Ross as lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967 and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left the group for a successful solo career in 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell.
After 1972, the lineup of the Supremes changed frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene all becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in 1977.