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Florence Glenda Ballard was born in Rosetta, MS, June 30, 1943, the ninth of 15 siblings. The family moved to Detroit before she turned ten to take advantage of the city's booming job market. Ballard took music classes, sang in her school's choir, and built a reputation as a talented singer in her neighborhood. At 14, she befriended the Primes (Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and Kell Osborne) and performed a few gigs with the smooth, silky trio at Detroit venues. The Primes' manager, Milton Jenkins, encouraged Ballard to form a sister group to the Primes, so she chose Mary Wilson, Betty McGlown, and Diane Earle (Diana Ross). All sang lead, but McGlown left early and was replaced by Barbara Martin. Wilson had the lowest voice; Ballard, the most demonstrative; and Earle, the highest with a razor edge. The Primettes played hops, talent shows, and house parties for fun and experience. They tried to get a deal with Berry Gordy's Motown before they graduated from high school, only to be told to try again after they finished; they cut a one-off record for the Lupine label, did backing s

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Florence Glenda Wilson Ballard was born and grew up in Detroit. By the time she turned 15, her family moved to the Brewster-Douglas housing project, and Florence attended Northeastern High School, where she met and became friends with Mary Wilson. Ballard had always wanted to be a singer and auditioned for the creation of a sister group of The Primes (later known as The Temptations). When she was approved, she recruited Mary, who in turn enlisted a Brewster neighbor, Diana Ross. They began singing and recording as The Primettes in 1959, but when they signed with Motown Records a year later, Florence selected The Supremes as their new name. Eventually Ross became the lead singer and Ballard grew dissatisfied with the group's management, she began drinking and was fired in 1967 for missing recording sessions and performances. She married her boyfriend Thomas Chapman and attempted a solo career with ABC Records. When her Motown settlement money was depleted by her lawyer, ABC also canceled her contract in 1970, after two unsuccessful singles and shelving an album, which was po

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Supreme Tragedy: The Life And Death Of Florence Ballard

The life of Florence Ballard was a tale of both triumph and tragedy, of a life filled all too briefly with adulation before it was cut short so sadly.

The founding member of the Supremes, who sang on ten No.1 singles with the unmatched Motown trio, was widely known as “Flo,” and as “Blondie” because of her relatively light hair. Florence was born on June 30, 1943 into a large family that was always beset with financial challenges. She sang as a teenager, entering the same 1958 talent show as her future groupmate Mary Wilson, around the time that a girl called Diane, later Diana, Rossmoved into their neighborhood.

Wilson wrote in her Dreamgirl autobiography about how impressed she was with Ballard’s voice in that contest. “As we walked home, we discussed every possible detail of our performances,” she recalled. “We promised each other that if either of us were ever asked to join a singing group, she would call the other. After lingering outside my building for a while, we reluctantly said goodbye. There was a bond