The Supremes
They were the all-girl Motown act. Formed in Detroit at the end of the 50s as The Primettes, they were originally a four-piece. They were a trio by 1962, and had a string of Holland-Dozier-Holland-penned hits. That classic line-up lasted till 1967, when Cindy Birdsong replaced the increasingly erratic Florence Ballard. Ross left in 1970 to pursue a solo carer - by then they had become Diana Ross and The Supremes, and the quality of the output was declining, not helped by the departure of their principal songwriters from Motown in 1968. Post-Ross a version of the group continued till 1977, when Wilson quit, leaving the group with no founding members left in it - at which point they called it a day. Longevity data for the classic line-up is below.

Key statistics;
Average DOB: 20 December1943
Current average age: 63 years 2 months
​
The two tables below show the other members of The Supremes. Betty McGlown was an original member, replaced by Barbara Martin in 1960. Martin quit in 1962 and was not replaced. The final table shows the members who joined the post-Ross version.


Page last updated 26 March 2024
