Thank you. I seen Mary live 8 times and she has never disappointed the fans. She was always nice to me and it was good to see her and Cindy singing live.
Kelly needed this. It's a pretty good feeling to know you sang with The Supremes. Kelly needs a new start in her career as a soloist and this is what she needed.
I freakin love this vid....Expetionally since Holiday Heart is one of my fav movies and those sonqs where in there!!! BTW.....Kelly did an AWESOME job!
I was so happy to find this vid again and always to see Cindy put on her Supremes bag...that smile and exhuberance, she just steps right in and helps Mary to re-evoke the group's magic days and memories! :)
@Eriq7001 Yes it seems like she has always been in Beyonce's shadow, but people forget Kelly was the first Destiny's Child member to win a grammy on her own. SHe is very talented.
I just so loved THE SUPREMES!!! As such, it is always a pleasure to Mary and Cindy performing. I am always reminded of those wonderful days in the 60's and 70's.
I also think part of the money issue for Diana, that even when she sang lead the money was always divided equally among the three...Gordy's way of keeping Diana in place. Diana even admitted in her own book that Mary warned her about Gordy, his other girlfriends, and the fact that everytime Gordy gave Diana a gift the other girls also recieved gifts as well.
I heard Mary sing not long before this.She can really sing. If i am not mistaken Mrs. Mary Wilson had serious medical problems shortly before this performance. Coming on this stage at this time of life and performing at all, is a testament to their endurance and greatness. How foolish is it, to criticize the performance of women who started singing in the 1950s. How assinine. By the way, i am a young person and i love the supremes, all of them.
This just reminds me why I thought Kelly would be great to play Mary in a film. She's got a similar look and vocal timbre. Also, Kelly knows a few things about being used and exploited by an older man she trusted with her dreams, in order to bolster the career of someone else (Beyoncé Knowles), to later be discarded while someone else takes the spotlight. Hmmm, kinda reminds me of the Supremes. Kelly Rowland has got talent and class. She deserves a better break than she got.
I think this is a very nice medley-Kelly sounded great, Mary Wilson sounded good and had those Supreme moves down pat and Cindy Birdsong looks amazing for her age.Very nice tribute, three very talented and beautiful ladies-all of the former supremes are all very beautiful and talented-love them all!
she should be so much bigger than she is dont you think, so unappreciated, the woman can sang, dance, and has model looks, and a great personality! that is the ingredients for a superstar (outside of the group), yet they dont seem to push her enuff! you look at all these singers like ashanti, keisha cole etc, kelly outsings all of dem yet she dont get the same luv, it aint right!
You are correct. Cindy really isn't a lead singer and never has been, however she blends well with other singers (Patti, Nona and Sarah of Labelle and all the other Supremes) and can hit some very high, powerful notes. She also has an instantly recognizable face and is very, very sweet. That's why we love her!
"She should have just done a solo tour and made it a tribute to The Supremes." She did- it was the Return to Love Tour and no one came to the shows. And for the record, it was not Ross' fault that Mary and Cindy backed out. THe promoters were paying them, not her. But she did offer to pay them additionally, but "Proud Mary" refused and Cindy agreed.
@Worme95 She did sing the duet with Lionel. I thought Kelly needed to be there..it boosted her career becasue she always been known as a backgrouns inger and her career was always been shadowed / DIRECTED and associated by the Knowles.
I agree to an extent. Pattie La'Belle is about that age and she still has an amazing voice. I heard her when she sang for DC. She is gr8, so there is no reason as to why they can't sound gr8 too.
i liked this. i was really glad to see mary and cindy doing their thing. it would be nice if everybody would just get along, cuz life is to short. especially since they lost flo at an early age
I hear you Betty, my thing is that most real fans don't expect the ladies to appear the same way. It's just the idea of getting back together one time. Again if Diana was smart she would try for a one concert-special/record for the three ladies and be done with it. I still think it would make for great pr, etc...especially for her.
The reunion probably would have worked better with Kelly. She replaced Diana that night anyway because she also sang the duet Endless Love with Lionel Richie.
Plus I heard that Diane had planned that tour in 1998 with Lynda and Scherrie, but told Mary & Cindy a year later for press. Berry was right it didn't work
Cindy Birdsong, in a recent interview, agreed that this was the worst performance..EVER..for her and Mary. She stated that the sound was so off but that is was a treat to perform with Kelly Rowland.
Mary is indeed a supreme example of THE SUPREMES. I truly appreciated this video. I loved the performances of all three. A sheer delight to see Mary and Cindy together again. Kelly was a trouper and I loved her too. Thank you so much for the information on Mary. But, really, the B*TCHES kinda spoiled your comment --- sorry. Again, thank you for the background information.
I didn't know that. I saw this that night and I knew that Mary Wilson could sing better than that but she did good to be there at all. She's an amazing lady just for that.
Thanks you. The promoter offered Mary 6 million and Cindy 5 million, but Diane wasn't going for that which is why the tour failie and she loss more than money. Respect and love (continued..)
Wow, The Destiny girl with Mary Wilson! That's almost like when Ms Wilson with The Supremes were with The Andrew Sisters back in the day on a major popular television show, they were the girls & The Andrew Sisters were The Queens. What an honor for the girl to have fun with Pop Music Royalty. nice...
Betty I was being sarcastic about the art, you are right Diana was about the money. How could one know how much the tour would have made especially if it had been successful? And part of the reason Diana has no record deal in America is because she is heavy handed, and will not give up some level of control. Diana herself has complained that no company here wants her.
Not to add to the Diana versus Mary debate but how much did Diana make for the 'Return to Love Tour"? I heard 20 million, that was upfront no matter what happen on the tour. I also have read that Berry told Diana it would be mistake not to include Mary and Cindy in the tour....looks like Berry was right!!
Because Diana like every recording artist wants a hit record again. Diana needs someone like Clive who can get her the best producers, writers, promotions, etc...
Well Peter Benjaminson the author of The Lost Supreme book is working on the the film right now. If I was you I would send him a message on his Lost Supreme site encouraging him to keep Kelly as Mary and Taraji as Diana in mind. As well as I did. That way his descision is made up due to all these suggestions and interviews with Taraji saying she wants to be Diana. Well Taraji keep your keep your fingers crossed because you might get a call from The Ballard Daughters one of these days.
You have to think about it from Clive's viewpoint...he loves making older performers big again. Rod Stewart singing standard who would ever have believed those albums would have sold millions?
I think they all did good!!!I mean they alll did there best ,it probabaly wasn't great but to me it was wonderful and for all you people who don't know how to sing you need to check ur self you don't have any business judeing anybody!!!!They did Wonderful!!!!I give them the credit for tryin!!!!!!!!
Oh, you mean besides Lady Sings the Blues. And Mahogany. And the Wiz. And Love Hangover. And the Boss. And I'm Coming Out. ANd Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand. And Ain't No Mountain High Enough. And Touch me in the Morning. And Endless Love. And Why do Fools Fall In Love. And Mirror Mirror. And Chain Reaction. And Swept Away. And Pieces of Ice. And Eaten Alive. And Take Me Higher. And All of You....
Yes you are right betty, Diana has made some really bad decisions in her career regarding her treatment of others. The thing that Diana and others miss is that no one expects the Supremes to look or sound like they did 40 years ago. Heck the Rollingstone clearly are not the same, but it's a chance to hangout and enjoy memories, they could make millions!
I think betty at this point the TVLand Awards is only one performance, on bad night and I don't think the reason Diana does not have a contract in America is remotely about her voice. I think it's about Diana's ego, and few executives want to tolerate her behavior. Many of Diana's female contempories now still have record contracts in America. If I am not mistaken Diana still maintains a record deal in Europe with EMI and sells well in Europe.
Too Diana's credit she has really taken care of herself with the exception of the drinking events a few years ago. I would add that Mary has always said that if Diane and her went in a room together that the matter would be settled. I have heard that Diana has called Mary personally when Mary had a car accident in the 90's and lost one of her son's in the accident. So you there is still some love between the two.
All I would add that many of the other Divas I like voice are not what they use to be, but executive know that they can work with her. I think if Clive Davis felt that Diana would give him control he could have brought her to a whole difference audience, Diana keeps showing up to Clive events, did a duet on Rod Stewart's last successful cd all I think to generate PR.
Only reason Mary and Cindy sang without Diana is because, Miss Ross would want more money than the other two... I hope some day they are together. For goodness sake they are all great singers.
That's what I heard also Diana had promised Vh-1 that she and the Supremes would do the Diva show that year. My understanding that Vh-1 producers were not happy that Mary and Cindy was not on the show, because they had counted on the PR to generate great ratings. Of course Diana only with the FLO supremes did not do very well, either...
Sad and touching..........What happened to Mary making the group equal? Why does Cindy only get 2 lines? What are they WEARING? Where is the stylist?? Kelly was fine but they should have had Scherrie do it - she was in the audience. I would rather not see The Supremes again ever if they are gonna be treated like some hot mess up on an elevated side stage. Set me free indeed!
i hope ur not saying kelly performance wasnt good, cuz she the one who keep me watching those old bags making a mess of themselves. GO KELLY. they might hv been the best but u was the diana ross that night
Thanks for the information bettyandco, that's very interesting one can guess from your source how the conversation went. Other than age what do you think has caused the dramatic changes in Diana's voice recently? Could it be drinking, stress,...? I know Diana has not been touring as much as in the past, I can't imagine it's overuse.
@xcvfr57 Well your opinion is brillant because Kelly might be getting lucky. Like about 2 weeks ago Faith Evans announced on The Wendy Williams show that she got a request from Florence Ballard's daughters to play their mom in the flim based on the book Lost Supreme The Story of Florence Ballard by Peter Benjaminson. So this might be Kelly's big chance to play young Mary. Like maybe Taraji P. Henson's big chance to play Diana like she always wanted. Of Course Faith's chance to play Florence.
But those were post-Supremes hits and she's still a larger than life public celebrity (if not a chart topping singer and that's not saying much considering how older singers are discarded in the industry), Plus how is that any different than Mary Wilson's track record since then. How often has she broken the Top 100 or had a #1 anything since leaving the Supremes.
The fact is that Diana did RTL with the possibility of making no money at all. She had no guarantee. Mary lied about the 15-20 million and she knew it. Diana only got a % after $700,000 per show. The merch was her only way of making anything and even then, all up front costs were covered by her. T Shirt makers don't prints thousands for IOU's. Any unsold merch, Diana would have eaten. The merch biz is not easy, nor as profitable as some think.
Man, Cindy Birdsong has been my favorite since i first saw her 1967 youtube supreme video. I fell for her when i saw the one on the Ed Sullivan, when she said "FAT IS IN". Shows how whats considered small things, can make big impressions.
I love the clip...and if Mary lied about anything having to do with the Return to Love tour Diana had the chance to tell her end and what happen? Diana messed up...it was not good face the facts!!! I still love Diana no matter!
Not me that's for sure. Rod Stewart sounds like Jiminy Cricket from those Disney cartoons and Rod is a male artists and he's working the AC category just like Diana Ross is doing!! The difference is she's not beholden to anyone but herself. Anyway you look at it, it's smart for her to stay independent- financially, professionally, creatively.
Truth be told, after Mary's unprofessionalism at Motown 25 (which got her banned from future broadcasts)Miss Ross didn't want to appear on TV again with her. HOWEVER, Scherrie Payne was there in the audience and Mary refused to allow her to appear along with any other Supreme except Miss Ross. Mary also demanded sepate billing from Cindy and more leads than Cindy. The Dive attitude was all Mary's.
Finishing my thoughts....I went to the reunion tour show and enjoyed it, BUT only the "fanatics" cared that the FLO's were there!!!This performance was sad to me, cuz all three of Diana Ross & the Supremes are still living and I've faced the fact that I'll problaby never get to experience the greatest American group in history. Kelly Rowland...love you a a Destiny's Child member, but a Supreme - you are not!!!!
That may be true, but it doesn't take away from my original point- that is, Diana Ross continued to have many hits and much success after leaving the Supremes.
For Mary Wilson to sling dirt at Diana, Scherrie & Lynda's RTL endeavor, and then have the gall to participate in this "Legends In Concert"-level burlesque of the Supremes (AND tour as "Mary Wilson AND THE SUPREMES" with two unknown background singers) is the height of hypocrisy. Wilson deserves praise and props for being an original Supreme, but the time has come for her to stop mewling like a victimized kitten all the time.
I am appalled at the lack of compassion I've seen in some of these comments. Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong should be commended for their contribution to popular music. To completely bash them is not kind at all. The point is that during Diana's days with the Supremes they were just as important to the Supreme's legacy as she was...With people being as rude as some of the comments have been, I can see why artists turn to drugs and overdose as opposed to dealing with the bitchy fickle public.
The most the tour could gross is 35 mil - no way would there be enough money to pay 19 mil for talent. SFX isn't in business for free and the show was budgeted at 500, 000 per before venue expenses.
"My Guy" was made by the late Mary Wells, not Mary Wilson of the Supremes (although all the critics should hear her on "Don't Let My Teardrops Bother You" from the 70's Supremes Anthology. I admire her voice but I prefer her delivery on ballads, not those tunes fronted by Diana or Jean or Scherrie or Susaye.
Some of these comments are just unrealistic...it's actually funny!!!! Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong ARE legends...but "old" ones!!!! Come on, we're talking about grandmothers here!!!! Check out the older clips to see them in there glory. They STILL look good to me!!!! Furthermore, yes...they were crazy not to do that reunion tour, but Diana Ross (whom I love) was just as much to blame. She should have just done a solo tour and made it a tribute to The Supremes.
Never gonna hapen. You think Mary's gonna go back to singing backup behind her (b/c we're certainly not buying tickets to hear Mary Wilson sing lead!!)after Motown 25 and the books and RTL? Uh Uh,IMO if they couldn't make RTL work, then it's just not going to work. We may just have to make do with our Greatest Hits collections...
I had to laugh, Marys wig looked like it had been shoved down the stylist throat and pulled back out again. Does anyone know if there is a Motown 50 in the works, it has been 50 years
Let's face it! All her "TOP 10" singles where #1 during the 70's and early 80's until I'm coming out peaked at #5. DIANA hasnt had a TOP 100 since 1985 and a #1pop(solo) since 1980. HMMM!
I am forever a Supreme fan, BUT Mary, can I buy you a new wig? Adn try to get the lyrics right. Cindy, Mary, I love you both. Shame on Diana, Mary, Cindy and the promoters for not making the Supremes Reunion work. Forget egos, just be nice.
