She was terrific. She was also terrified of the world. 40 years ago today, Florence Glenda Chapman, formerly Florence Ballard of The Supremes, died suddenly of Coronary Thrombosis in Detroit. The inspiration for Dreamgirls became a ghostly gothic story that day. An intersection in which race, rape culture, the pressures of fame and feminism developed…
Tag: ABC Records
Della Reese “Solitary Woman” (ABC 10841-B, 1966)
Della Reese “Solitary Woman” (ABC 10841-B, 1966) In between the days of Dinah Washington and Dionne Warwick, there spans the remarkable career of Delloreese Early, someone that you definitely know better as Della Reese. In age she’s the perfect generation gap between two transition periods of African American Femme Fatales of song, and today, we…
Florence Ballard “Forever Faithful” (ABC 11144-B, 1968)
Florence Ballard “Forever Faithful” (ABC 11144-B, 1968) Had she not been like, “I’m not doing this singing thing on my own,” there’d never be the complex, rich history of The Supremes. Perhaps Diana Ross *might* have become a singer, but it’s the plucky Florence Ballard that got The Supremes off the ground as The Primettes….
Lamont Dozier “Fish Ain’t Bitin'” (ABC 11438, R&B #4 Pop #26, 1974)
Lamont Dozier “Fish Ain’t Bitin’” (ABC 11438, R&B #4 Pop #26, 1974) Gemini Roll Call starts to wind down with one of its biggest legends.Primarily a man behind the glass, Lamont Dozier did make his way in front of the microphone quite often. His pre-Holland-Dozier-Holland days found him trying out being a performer for a…
DJ Larsupreme 