Florence Ballard Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Florence Ballard (June 30, 1943 - February 22, 1976), an American singer from Detroit, Michigan, was an original singer in the Primettes, and then became a founder and the lead singer in the Supremes before Diana Ross took the lead.
Ballard had a voice resembling that of Billie Holliday; however, it was Ross's voice that stormed the Supremes into the charts, and the group ended up achieving nine number one hits. In the early days of the Supremes, Florence Ballard took lead on songs like 'People', 'Buttered Popcorn' and 'Heavenly Father'. Diana Ross certainly appealed to a white audience, but there is speculation as to whether her voice was 'accepted' by the black community at the time.
Florence was kicked out of the Supremes in 1967, and the group's name was changed to Diana Ross & The Supremes. She got married in 1968, and signed with ABC Records. Two singles, "It Doesn't Matter How I Say It," and "Love Ain't Love" were released, but the album she recorded was shelved. After that, Flo disappeared in obscurity.
On Saturday, February 21, 1976, Florence entered Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital complaining of numbness in her extremities. On February 22, 1976, Florence Ballard died of a coronary thrombosis (blood clot in one of her coronary arteries). She was 32 years old. It is often thought that she died penniless.
In 2002, THE SUPREME FLORENCE 'FLO' BALLARD, the album she recorded on ABC Records in 1968, was finally released by a London-based company on cd.
Additional Info:
Married Cecil Womack (brother to Bobby Womack)
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