The Supremes : The beginning

The Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1959 two fifteen year olds, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, met at a talent show. Milton Jenkins, who managed a local group the Primes, wanted a sister group to accompany the Primes for stage performances. He asked Florence Ballard to put together such an act. She then remembered Mary Wilson and the two of them brought in sixteen year old Betty Travis. Prime's member Paul Williams, (who went on to form the Temptations), recommended a fifteen year old from Detroit's Brewster Housing project, Diane Ross. Jenkins named the group the Primettes after Diane's parents gave their permission for her to join. 

In January 1961 Motown's Berry Gordy signed them, but required them to change their name. Ballard who had formed the group named them The Supremes. Mary Wilson and Diana Ross initially disliked the name, but Gordy approved.

The first two singles “I Want A Guy” and “Buttered Popcorn” failed to make the charts and more releases failed to sell. The 1963 single release "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" gave The Supremes their first Top 30 hit (No. 23) and a few months later, they stuck gold with the Holland–Dozier–Holland penned "Where Did Our Love Go" which gave them their first of five US No.1 hits in a row.