| Years Active: | 1986–present |
| Alias: | FLOS |
| Spinoff Of: | The Supremes |
| Current Members: | |
| Past Members: | |
| Former Ladies of the Supremes | |
Former Ladies of the Supremes, or FLOS,[1] is a female vocal group that was originally formed in 1986 by former Supremes members Jean Terrell, Cindy Birdsong and Scherrie Payne. It has also included former members Lynda Laurence and Susaye Greene. Though they were not Supremes members, singers Sundray Tucker, Freddi Poole and Joyce Vincent have also sung with the group following the departure of Terrell.
In 1976, it was rumored in Jet magazine that former Supremes Jean Terrell and Cindy Birdsong had contacted Florence Ballard to form a new singing group, however Ballard's death in February of that year quickly cancelled their plan.[2]
In 1985, eight years after the group officially broke up in 1977, Scherrie Payne was signed to SuperStar International Records, a Los Angeles based record company. Her then-partner, Ronnie Phillips, approached her with the idea of reforming the Supremes, to which she agreed, and asked Birdsong and Mary Wilson to join the new Supremes group. Wilson declined, instead opting to forge a solo career, while Birdsong agreed and persuaded Terrell to join the new Supremes group. At this time, Wilson was involved in a lawsuit due rights of the Supremes name,[3] and won the lawsuit in 1987 to use the name.[4]
However due to contractual difficulties over the ownership of the name, they decided to create a spinoff group of the Supremes using the abbreviation "FLOS", for the pseudonym "Former Ladies of the Supremes". Before they began their career, Birdsong briefly left the group for a solo career. Former member of the Supremes, Lynda Laurence, joined the lineup, replacing Cindy Birdsong just as she did in 1972, and for SuperStar International Records, the group released the song "We're Back". However, SuperStar International Records did not have national distribution, and the song later failed to chart and the label soon folded afterwards. The group began to perform and tour, making their debut performance at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in 1987.[5] By 1989, Rick Gianatos brought the group to Motorcity Records, an record label owned by Ian Levine. At the label, they recorded a cover of the Supremes songs' and other songs such as "Crazy bout' the Guy", "Stoned Love", "I Want to Be Loved", and "Hit and Miss", and this would continue until Motorcity folded.
The lineup changed again, when in 1993, Terrell left and was replaced by Sundray Tucker (Lynda Laurence's sister.) This trio toured the world and recorded several albums including "Supreme Voices" and "SupremeLy Yours."[6] [7]
In 1996, Tucker left the trio and Terrell made a brief comeback to the group, reuniting with both Payne and Laurence for two special concerts held at the Industry Cafe in Los Angeles. This reunion ended with the recruitment of Freddi Poole in July 1996.[8] Poole, an established singer who had worked with the likes of Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Sammy Davis Jr., and stayed with the group until September 2009. In that same year, Mary Wilson, sued the group. The lawsuit was filed against Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne and Jean Terrell, who were performing as The "Former Ladies Of The Supremes. In 1999, Mary Wilson lost the lawsuit against the group after suing them for using the Supremes name.[9] [10] [11] In 2000, Payne and Laurence joined Diana Ross on the brief but highly publicized and later cancelled, Return To Love tour, billed as Diana Ross & the Supremes.[12] [13] [14] The tour made TV appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, VH1 Divas Live, and The View. In 2005, the trio was honored by the Hollywood History Museum. The museum presented an exhibit showing their contribution to the Supremes' legacy and their FLOS' history.[15] Payne and Laurence donated stage gowns and shoes from their personal collection for the display along with photos, record albums, tour books, and posters.[15] Although recording sessions was sporadic during her tenure, Poole contributed to the group's 2006 single "Sisters United (We’re Taking Control)".[15] In 2007, Joyce Vincent Wilson of Tony Orlando and Dawn briefly filled in for Poole for a tour in Japan, after Poole's mother's death, and in that same year, their CD was released, featuring solo leads of the group, and did a remake of Payne's 1984 solo single "One Night Only".[15]
On September 29, 2009, it was reported on Payne and Laurence's website that Poole had left the group, later to join female trio the Three Degrees. With Freddi's departure, Vincent joined the group, replacing Poole. Notably, Vincent had once been considered as a replacement in an official grouping of the Supremes following Wilson's departure. It was decided by Motown that the group should not continue without an original member, and the Supremes disbanded in 1977.[8]
On October 6, 2017, it was reported via Facebook that after 31 years in the group, Laurence had departed the group and was replaced by Susaye Greene.[16] Greene had been a member of the Supremes from early 1976 to summer of 1977 (replacing Cindy Birdsong), and performed on their albums "High Energy" and "Mary, Scherrie & Susaye".
The group continues to tour. In December 2018, the group released their first recent music together, the four track Christmas-themed "A Supreme Christmas EP", followed by the single "Unconditional Love" in 2019. In that same year, they participated in the Oak Leaf Festival.[17]
In 2022, Payne, Laurence and Greene performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, as one of the Motown-based artists highlighting the performance, in honor of the label. This marked the first time that this trio of former Supremes performed together, also it was the first time since 2000 that 3 Motown Supremes performed together. The last time was the Diana Ross & The Supremes' "Return To Love Tour in 2000 starring Diana Ross, Scherrie Payne & Lynda Laurence.[18]
On June 14, 2024, Scherrie Payne reported that Susaye Greene had departed the group to spend time on her "entrepreneurial endeavors", and Lynda Laurence would be returning from her hiatus.[19]
Upon her return Lynda Laurence posted this on the groups' official website and social media sites "To our incredible fans, words cannot express the depth of my appreciation. Your unwavering support and encouragement played a pivotal role in my decision to reunite with Scherrie and Joyce. Your loyalty and honesty are testaments to the love you hold for this group, and I am truly touched by your continued support." -Lynda Laurence
Scherrie Payne has remained part of FLOS throughout its tenure. The group has also included Jean Terrell, Cindy Birdsong, Lynda Laurence, Sundray Tucker, Freddi Poole, Joyce Vincent Wilson, and Susaye Greene.
| Scherrie Payne | Jean Terrell | Cindy Birdsong |
| 1986–1992 | Lynda Laurence | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–1996 | Sundray Tucker | |
| 1996–2009 | Freddi Poole | |
| 2009–2017 | Joyce Vincent Wilson | |
| 2017–2024 | Susaye Greene |
Superstar International Records
Motorcity Records
Driving Wheel Records
Later material
"*Unconditional Love" (2019)
Although the three groups above did tour together extensively throughout Europe in 1997 on the same bill, the recordings featured on the above compact disc album were used from three separate projects of previously released live shows from each group, digitally remastered and edited by Steve Weaver.