Betty McGlown-Travis (June 30, 1941 – January 12, 2008) was an American singer, a member of The Primettes, later better known as

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

Biography

In 1959, McGlown started dating future

Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

member Paul Williams, who was then singing with the Primes. Around the same time, the Primes' booking agent and manager Milton Jenkins was scouting the Detroit neighborhoods looking for girls to become part of the Primes' sister act. After he discovered

Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-o ...

, Ballard set about recruiting other girls she knew, quickly asking Mary Wilson. Primes member Paul Williams asked

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

to join. Due to her connection with Williams, McGlown became the last to join the Primettes. Along with their guitarist,

Marv Tarplin Marvin Tarplin (June 13, 1941 – September 30, 2011) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their bigges ...

, the girls performed for

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

who, although impressed, told them they were too young for the business and encouraged them to finish school. On Lu Pine Records, McGlown sang backing vocals for Mary Wilson on "

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

" and backing vocals for Diana Ross on " Tears of Sorrow". These became the only known recordings of McGlown, although her voice does not stand out by itself in either song. While all four members sang lead on stage, it is only the other three members who ever had leads on studio recordings. McGlown eventually became Mrs. Betty Travis and left the Primettes in 1960 to concentrate on her new marriage. She was replaced by Barbara Martin the same year. Betty McGlown-Travis died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

in January 2008 at Beaumont Hospital in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along t ...

, at the age of 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGlown, Betty 1941 births 2008 deaths American rhythm and blues musicians The Supremes members Musicians from Detroit 20th-century American musicians African-American women singers American soul singers Deaths from diabetes 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers