On June 12, 1977,
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
performed their final concert together at
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
[The Supremes]
. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1988. Retrieved on January 2, 2015.
Mary Wilson's departure
In early 1977, sole remaining original group member
Mary Wilson announced that she would be leaving The Supremes to embark upon a solo career.
During one of the group's last television appearances together, on the US daytime talk show, ''
The Mike Douglas Show
''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...
'', Wilson announced that she would be stepping out from the group to pursue a solo career.
As the group's touring schedule was booked months in advance, it fell that the group would be performing at one of London's top theaters in
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...
, on Wilson's last night as a member.
The event was well publicized throughout the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and was broadcast by London's
Capital Radio
Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network.
As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...
. The show was opened by up-and-coming singer
Billy Ocean.
Songs performed
* "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon"/"Corner Of The Sky"
* "
Let Yourself Go"
* "
Stoned Love"
* "
The Way We Were"
* "
Maybe This Time"
* "
Someday We'll Be Together"
* "
You Keep Me Hanging On"
* "
Where Did Our Love Go"
* "
Baby Love"
* "
Love Child"
* "
Stop! In the Name of Love
"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label.
Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number 1 position on the Billboard ...
"
* "
My World Is Empty Without You"
* "Knocks Me Off My Feet" - solo performance by Susaye Greene
* "What About Today?" - solo performance by Scherrie Payne
* "
A Song for You" /"How Lucky Can You Get" - solo performance by Mary Wilson
* "
I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking"
In her second autobiography ''
Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together'', Mary Wilson recalls other songs being performed as latter day singles by the group such as "
You're My Driving Wheel", "
He's My Man" and "
You're What's Missing in My Life". However, Wilson also states that the concert closed with "Someday We'll Be Together". Susaye Greene has stated in several on-line interviews that she does not recall the concert specifically (it was just another engagement at that time, as Scherrie and Susaye planned to continue The Supremes with a new member. The Ladies later chose
Joyce Vincent-Wilson, formerly of
Tony Orlando & Dawn, as their third member.) Greene also stated that Scherrie Payne took lead vocals on "Tossing and Turning", and that she herself performed "
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", which had been a highlight of the group's live act for the past twelve months.
Personnel
*
Mary Wilson
*
Scherrie Payne
*
Susaye Greene
See also
*
''Farewell'' (The Supremes album)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Supremes, The
The Supremes
Concerts
June 1977 in the United Kingdom
1977 in London
1977 in British music