I got to see F.L.O.S. last night - That's right, FLOS. It stands for the Former Ladies of the Supremes. "Ahhh" , goes the discerning older reader. "Huh!" goes the younger readers.
For the benefit of the young 'uns, let me start with "The Supremes". The Supremes were an all-girl trio act that was the big hit group of the 60's and 70's that helped boost Motown Records to be the industry giant it is today. The original Supremes consisted of Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Diana Ross. I am hoping the young readers will at least recognise Diana Ross. Well, this is how she got started.
Between 1962 (year I was born) and the final year of the group in 1977, different ladies came and went but the group kept going. In the end there were 8 ladies who can rightly claim to have been an original Supreme. These were Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, Cindy Birdsong, Jean Terrell, Lynda Lawrence, Scherrie Payne and Susaye Green.
In 1985, the ladies were asked to reform the group and this led to the FLOS which consists of Scherrie Payne, Lynda Lawrence and a new addition, Freddi Poole. They have gone on to recording success of their own and still perform many of the Supreme songs on tour.
So it was these wonderful ladies that I had the privelege to watch last night in concert. Now these are sixty-something grandmothers, but they have fantastic voices and wonderful moves. They can still wow an audience and they had us dancing in the aisles (which is quite tough with a Malaysian audience). They did old hits like "Baby Love" and "Stop in the name of Love"; new hits like "Stone Love" and covers of other Motown greats like "R.E.S.P.E.C.T."
Well, I had a good time swinging with these ol' ladies which just shows that age doesn't need to be a hindrance to living life to the full. Growing old seemed to have been a focus of several blogs of late. Enjoy the following video clip.
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13 comments:
Good video Lgs! I remember the Supremes from way back since....um ok showing a little age here LOL. I enjoyed their music even as a child.
Very cool. I had no idea they were still performing!
Isn't live music the best??
Great post LGS! Your year of birth is the same as my eldest son!
These were such good mucical days, full of energy!
In my heart I return to the age I was then, & still feel young on the inside!!
Sounds like a good evening! Motown was great!
Lucky you.
I too have met some of these ladies as a reporter. Especially Cindy Songbird of the old Supremes.
They are classy!
janice,
Simple moves but powerful, mesmerizing singing. I prefer that to most of the music videos we have today which have elaborate choreography but weak musical content and talent.
claudia,
I love live music too and especially the intimacy of a late night jazz jam.
meggie,
Well, the cat's out of the bag ( my age). Music that makes us feel young is good medicine.
mago,
It was a fun evening. Thanks.
ivan,
Classy is the perfect word to describe them. Thanks.
LGS, that was great. I LOVED the Supremes. Well, who didn't? When Diana Ross and the Supremes (as she insisted they be called), came to Vancouver, she requested everyone to call her "Miss Ross", not Diana. Is that a diva or what? But, she earned it.
Age? Pshaw, what's that? I saw Rod Stewart recently, and he was better than he was when I saw him 20 years ago. Age had added a wonderful patina to him and to his performance.
LGS,
Last Christmas season (I think that's before we met), I began a series about my childhood Christmas in 1960. I plan to finish it next month, but one of the chapters is about Hudson's Department Store, where Diana Ross worked before beginning her career with the Supremes and Motown.
A great sound!
Did you see the movie "Dreamgirls"? I think it was loosely based on the story of the Supremes. I really enjoyed it.
I'm sorry, but I think getting older sucks. As a woman, you become slowly invisible. I'm glad these ladies are still performing.
Great video and I am a year older, so we are still young. I saw tina turner years ago when she was in her fifties and she danced like a 20 year old. Did you? Have a great day.
josie,
Some people age well and still others seem ageless. These grandmas were still putting their ample bosoms out there and were still classy. We should be so lucky in our old age.
Tom,
What a small world!?! Look forward to your post on that.
claire,
I haven't seen the Dreamgirls yet. I plan to, of course. I guess I can't imagine growing old from the female perspective but I think growing invisible will happen only if we remain passive and let it happen.
marja,
Good to know we are still young but for me darn embarrassing to have 70 year old grandmas like Tina Turner run circles round me on the dance floor!
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