It’s been 20 years since the incomparable Diana Ross announced her Return To Love tour with the equally incredible Scherrie Payne and Lynda Lawrence, two Supremes who had joined the group after Ross launched her solo career in 1970. The trio promised to revisit all of the amazing music of Motown’s most successful group, during a tour that was to have included all of the women who had been…well, supreme.
Founding member Mary Wilson opted out of the tour, as did Cindy Birdsong, who had replaced founder Florence Ballard in 1967. But in typical Ross fashion, there was absolutely no mountain high enough to keep the diva — and the iconic music — from Motown fans, so Lawrence, Payne, and Ross hit the road.
The Return To Love tour opened in Philadelphia on June 14, 2000 and was scheduled to play in 30 cities before wrapping up in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t to be. The tour was cancelled by mid-summer, leaving Ross & The Supremes bruised. Many faithful fans, stateside and across the globe, lost an opportunity to see a phenomenal, nostalgic show.
Predictably, the Return To Love tour was a showcase for Ross, but it was also a chance to see Payne and Lawrence shine. During one segment of their Detroit stop, this writer worried that Ross might be upstaged by her sterling Supremes! And the onstage chemistry between the three divas was a joy to experience.
Ross didn’t return calls for comment for this feature, but as any Supreme would have Ross’ back, Lawrence and Payne did! They were as warm and giving by phone as they have always been on stage, and they graciously agreed to give us a glimpse behind the curtain of one of the century’s greatest, albeit shortest, tours.
MEET SCHERRIE PAYNE: “I’d have been a fool to turn that tour down!”
Before I asked Payne about the Return To Love tour, I wanted to know how the diminutive songstress mustered the courage, in 1973, to replace Supremes’ lead singer Jean Terrell, who had replaced Ross just three years earlier.
“I wasn’t that confident when I got the call from Mary Wilson,” Payne recalled by phone. “I was dating Lamont Dozier [one third of the iconic songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier-Holland], and he’d run into Mary at a party. She told him that Jean had left the group, and The Supremes were looking for another lead singer.”
“He suggested me, and when Mary called me, I was in shock,” Payne continued. “I told her I was interested in the gig, but I hung up the phone and said ‘This is The Supremes! I can’t do it!’ My mother sat me down and gave me that typical mother pep talk, and built me up.”
“I got on a plane to LA that Saturday morning. Cindy and her husband, Charles, picked me up at the airport, and we went straight to Mary’s house. I didn’t know that they’d booked a Supremes gig just a few days later, at the New Mexico State Fair.”
“So I didn’t have a chance to be nervous, because I had so much to learn! The routines, the lyrics…but it was a lot of fun. And Mary & Cindy were just great. They helped me in every way they could, and they accepted me right away.”
By 1977, Wilson decided to follow in Ross’ formidable footsteps and pursue her own solo career. “That was devastating,” Payne recalled.
According to Payne, The Supremes considered several potential replacements for Wilson, including Michael Jackson’s older sister, La Toya Jackson! Ultimately, Motown decided to retire The Supremes, as the group no longer had an original member.
Payne and Lawrence bounced back and began touring as the Former Ladies of The Supremes, keeping the trio’s legacy alive, and eventually attracting the attention of Ross and the Return To Love tour.
“I got a call from Scott Sanders, who was Diana’s tour producer, saying Diana had asked whether I’d like to join the tour,” Payne remembered. “I thought maybe, with Mary and Cindy being on the tour, I was going to be a fourth voice behind the curtain, but I didn’t care!”
“Somewhere along the line, negotiations with Mary and Cindy had broken down, and Diana ended up choosing me and Linda to join her, as the two of us had been singing together.”
It had to have been enough of a challenge to replace Terrell as the lead singer of Supremes, but to take the stage with the Queen Of Motown herself? Given Ross’ reputation in some circles, I had to ask Payne what it was like to work with her.
“We had a great time,” Payne recalled of working with Ross. “I know she had a bad rep with some people…but she was wonderful to us, and that’s what I can speak about. Diana couldn’t have been more wonderful.”
I asked Payne about the trio’s feelings when the Return To Love tour was abruptly cancelled after fewer than a dozen dates.
“It was hard, for all of us,” Payne shared. “I cried. We never got to finish it. But it had nothing to do with Mary — the ‘Mary fans’ gloated about the show being cancelled.”
The end of the Return To Love tour had nothing to do with Mary Wilson? That’s not a story that’s been widely told — but we’ll get to that in a bit!
“Some of them gave me the most hateful stares [while we were on tour], “ Payne said of Mary Wilson’s “fans.” “It wasn’t my fault. I had nothing to do with what went on between Diana and Mary, and I’d have been a fool to turn that tour down!”
MEET LYNDA LAWRENCE: “Mary Wilson doesn’t understand the ‘business’ of show business!”
Lawrence, who’d been singing background for Stevie Wonder, felt the same way. She remembers getting the call to join the Return To Love tour like it was yesterday. But unlike the call that Payne received, Lawrence’s call was from a little further up the chain of command — and she almost hung up on her!
“I got a call one Saturday or Sunday, and I had a facial on,” Lawrence recalled with a smile. “A lot of times, fans will call and change their voice, to try to fool me. Someone said ‘Hi! May I speak to Lynda? This is Diana Ross.’ “
“I said ‘Sure, right! Look, I have a facial on so I can’t crack it. Stop making me laugh! Who is this?’ She said ‘Lynda, this is Diana Ross!’ So that’s how we started. And from then on, it became one of the best things I’ve done in my career.”
“Diana is a sweetheart, and she’s a great mother,” Lawrence continued. “She’s a really genuine person, and I loved that. And what she loved about Scherrie and me was our camaraderie. When Diana was in The Supremes, she didn’t have that kind of camaraderie with Mary & Cindy, or Mary & Florence, especially. I said to her once ‘Listen, if you need anything while we’re on tour, just ask Scherrie. She carries everything in her purse.’ And Diana fell out laughing.”
“When we started rehearsing for the tour, I noticed that Diana had people for everything, because Diana runs her own show. I LOVED that. A lot of people, especially men in the business, really resented her for that, but I applauded her for it.”
“We worked hard, and we wanted the tour to be good. All three of us were in a very harmonious thought pattern, because we all wanted it to work. We all gave it 200%.”
“I loved the gowns,” Lawrence recalled of the trademark, glamorous frocks that Ross & The Supremes sported during the Return To Love tour. “When we wore the dresses with the cracked mirror, and we stood up, the expression on my mother’s face I will never forget. She was so excited, and told me later that she’d never seen anything like that in her life. For me, that was everything.”
“And I remember that Diana loved that there were specific songs that I absolutely adored! She’d tell the audience “This is Lynda’s favorite song” as we started ‘Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone.’ All of those songs had deep, deep lyrics — really incredible music, but lyrics that will never die.”
“It was an amazing time, and I’m very, very thankful that I had a small part in it.” Lawrence said. “It was a tour that should have continued. It really should have.”
The End Of The Return To Love
Weeks before Diana Ross & The Supremes took the stage for the Return To Love tour, fans watched televised interviews with Wilson, who had opted out of the tour due to a perceived lack of respect and a multimillion dollar offer to join Ross & The Supremes that she deemed “unfair.” Wilson had nothing positive to say about the tour or the three featured performers…which was odd, especially given she had enjoyed a professional and personal relationship with Lawrence.
“I never allowed negative anything to stop me from doing whatever it is that I need to do,” Lawrence asserted, with a mettle that mirrors Ross’ own. “So I immediately turn it off. For that reason, I would not allow anything that Mary said to affect me.”
“But it affected me because it affected Diana. Her children were young then, and they heard the vitriolic things that Mary was saying about their mother. They came back to Diana and asked ‘Mom, why is she saying that?’”
“So things penetrated Diana because her children were involved, and Mary was calling her a liar, which was horrendous in itself. Had Mary even thought about the consequences of her actions…”
Lawrence’s voice trailed off, as if to compose herself before continuing…as any true Supreme would.
“There are envious people in the world, and there are people who are straight out jealous,” Lawrence said. “I feel sorry for Mary, if you want to know the truth. This is a business, and the one thing I’ve learned over the years is you better know how to deal with the business end of show business, or it’s going to eat you up.”
“Mary is still struggling, and she has conceded to envy and jealousy,” Lawrence said. “That’s very sad because it does not leave room for understanding. Mary doesn’t understand the ‘business’ of ‘show business’.”
“Listen: [the members of] Fleetwood Mac don’t even speak to each other offstage,” Lawrence declared, “but they got back together, and they performed, because that’s what people want. Can you imagine what would happen if Diana chose to do something now, even 20 years later? Diana looks great — just like she did in 2000!”
“I went to see Mary last year in Vegas,” Lawrence said, “and after the show I tried to explain to her the business end of what we could do, even now. I told her that I would contact Diana, but Mary didn’t want any part of that.”
“Mary has really missed the boat, and she just doesn’t understand,” Lawrence said. “No matter what, she is Mary and Diana is DIANA! And that’s it! There is no way on this planet that Mary Wilson will ever garner the audiences that Diana Ross does! It’s just not going to happen! The name ‘The Supremes’ is a great name, but it’s not going to carry Mary that far, because Mary can’t back it up with what it takes to back it up.”
According to Lawrence, the Return To Love tour faced a foe far more formidable than a Mary Wilson interview: sexism in the entertainment industry. She said the tour’s promoters tried to force Ross into a five-year, exclusive management contract. If Ross didn’t sign, they threatened to pull the plug on the entire tour.
“The promoters tried to make people think that the tour wasn’t going well,” Lawrence said. “We had full houses, but they were telling Diana that we didn’t. They assumed that, because we were women, we didn’t know what we were doing. Diana called us all together, in Canada I believe, and told us what they were trying to force her to do. Ultimately, Diana told them that unless they took the signing off of the table, they could cancel the tour.”
“So they did, not even allowing us to keep our west coast and Vegas dates. Diana was so devastated — we all were. I didn’t like that it was done that way, but I was glad that Diana stood on her own two feet and said ‘no’ .”
Might Supremes Fans Look Forward To Another Return To Love?
Cindy Birdsong, the only other surviving member of the 60s incarnation of Diana Ross & The Supremes, is in poor health and unable to perform. Sources who asked for anonymity confirmed that Birdsong expressed regret about allowing Wilson to negotiate on her behalf, as well as about not joining the Return To Love tour.
Even so, some diehard Supremes fans are holding out hope for Ross to take the stage with Wilson one more time. With the global coronavirus pandemic having shuttered performance venues across the globe, there’s a little time ahead to mend fences.
But based on what Payne and Lawrence have said, this writer thinks that if there’s another Supremes “reunion” tour, it should be dubbed The Snowball In Hell Tour.
“In the end,” Lawrence said, “Diana has won all of these years. If Mary were to understand the depth of her getting online, after all of these years, and saying ‘I made a mistake, and I would like Diana to forgive me if she can find it in her heart,’ it would be monumental worldwide. I would be the #1 news item of the day!”
“And I know Diana would receive that,” Lawrence continued. “She’s run her own business for years, so make no mistake: Diana would receive that and she would see things for what they could be.”
“I don’t think that will ever happen. No,” Payne curtly asserted. “And Diana doesn’t need to do it, at this point.”
So twenty years after the truncated Return To Love tour, and 57 years after The Supremes enjoyed the first of a string of #1 smashes, “Where Did Our Love Go,” fans of Diana Ross & The Supremes have the memories and the music. As Ross is prone to saying, some memories never fade.
And for those lucky enough to have seen the Return To Love tour, we know that truer words have never been spoken!
Michael's Mind's Eye 
I think Diana did have that type of camaraderie with Mary and Flo in the beginning but then her ego got the best of her. I seriously doubt Diana would not know whether or not her shows were sold out or that any promoter could get away with pressuring her that way. She’s too smart a business woman. Maybe there’s some truth to it but in the end I think fans stayed away because Mary and Cindy were not there. They should have been but Mary was too stubborn.
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Thanks for sharing your perspective, and for reading the feature.
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Great article but the reason the negotiations fell through with Mary had nothing to do with money – it had to do with Mary’s desire, as an original Supreme, to have input into the show’s song selections and outfits. And the show’s promoter put her on hold and, when the deadline came, it was too late for any future negotiations. (Remember, Diana was not directly involved in the negotiations so it wasn’t her fault either!) It was a Business decision and I can see what you said about women not being respected the same as men being a part of the reason. Did you know that there was an unwritten rule during the ’60’s and ’70’s that only a certain number of female artists could be on the charts at the same time? With respect to Mary’s attitude about Scherrie and Lynda, Mary was upset, at the time, that she was demanding certain things from Motown (like the rights to the name “Supremes”) but Motown was promising Scherrie and Susaye the world and they went for it. They were playing divide and conquer and, in this case, Scherrie and Susaye didn’t understand the business! (By the way, didn’t you used to write for Newsday? I have met you several times in the past.)
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It would have been great t see Mary take Lynda offer t convince diana to do a show with Mary and Lynda. At least there was another incarnation of the supremes in 2000 t close t book on their legacy. Frances
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Great article. I love all of The Supremes, but out of respect for Mary, Flo and Cindy I refused to attend the concert. I also lost respect for Lynda. Lynda needs to realize that if Mary hadn’t hired her to replace Cindy, she wouldn’t have been a Supreme. Mary and Cindy should have gotten a fair share of the money and been allowed to have input. Especially Mary since Mary was the only original member who kept the group going for an additional 7 years. For Lynda to say that Mary is bitter and doesn’t know business was foul. Mary was smart enough to try to get a better deal. While Mary does have to tour, she has done well for herself. 2 solo albums, several hit singles, 3 best selling books, earning a college degree from NYU and being named a Cultural Ambassador whereas Lynda has sang background for several artists and performed with the FLOS. If you ask me, Lynda is the one who’s being petty bashing Mary.
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Hello. Thanks for reading my piece, the compliment on it, and sharing your perspective. I, too, initially decided not to attend that concert, until I heard watched both Wilson and Ross on 20/20 that spring. I’m glad I opted to attend, as it was an incredible show. I’m not sure Wilson hired Lawrence; I think Motown did. At any rate, Return To Love is, undoubtedly, a story with multiple angles and perspectives! Again, thanks for the compliment, and for taking the time to write.
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Wow this was interesting, i know a lot about this, but i’m gonna keep my opinion’s to myself, it was Mary Wilson who hired Lynda Laurence Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene,, LOVE them all, but there’s always been a SPECIAL place in my heart for Mary,
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Wilson hired all of the Supremes after Jean Terrell. The Supremes started as a group of teenagers that signed contracts to be managed by Motown, but the group was there’s. They became one of Barry Gordy’s main focuses during the 60’s, and his main crossover group, so he was very influential with them. Barry lost interest in the group, when he had 2nd thoughts about Jean, and wanted to chose a different lead singer after the new group had been working together recording and practicing for a number of months and Jean had been introduced to the public at Diana’s farewell concert. Mary insisted Jean remain the new lead singer. Barry then distanced himself. Prior to that time, I believe, new Supremes Cindy and Jean were recruited by Barry (Cindy, with Diana’s influence) and kind of needed to be approved by the other group members. This is referenced in different books and interviews. I believe Scherrie was recommended to Mary by Lamont Dozier, who she was dating, and I think Jean was recommended by Stevie Wonder. (She sang backup for him as a member of Wonderlove, most notably on “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.”). Motown decided to retire the Supremes name when Mary left in the mid to late 70’s, as there were no original members of The Supremes left at the time. Scherrie and Susaye had hoped to bring on Joyce Vincent and continue with the group. So Mary’s importance to the group and her public recognition as a founding member was much more than Lynda gave her credit for in your interview. Barry did call the promoter for RTL to advocate for Mary and Cindy, and warned Diana about the risk of going forward without them, though he agreed she should move forward if she wanted. Lynda was a backup for Stevie Wonder. Mary formed a group with Flo and Diana. Big difference.
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Oh, I’ll say it too. Mary DID NOT know the business. Diana added to what was offered her and STILL she wanted more. She messed it up for poor Cindy, too. Diana (and Berry, of course) made the Supremes Supreme. It was a fabulous concert. I have heard so much BS about what went down by people who WERE NOT THERE. I was.
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Thank you for reading, and for sharing your thoughts.
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I’m sure it was a great show. Diana Ross doesn’t put on a bad show. I, too, stayed away because Mary and Cindy were’t a part of it. Honestly, Diana should have just scrapped the concept once Mary and Cindy weren’t on board and just continue with her original plan to promote her new album at the time. Presenting Lynda and Scherrie as “Supremes” (even though they are indeed former members) when they never made a record or even sang together before with Diana is attempting to sell the public a bill of goods. It just can’t work that way and it obviously didn’t. Didn’t anybody in her camp say, “This is a colossally bad idea.”??? I guess she just had too many “yes-men” in her camp. The nonsense about the promoters pulling the tour because of the perceived forced contract signing is really nothing more than damage control for a failing and ultimately canceled tour. It’s actually a common corporate tactic like “pretending” they couldn’t come to terms with Mary and Cindy. They could have made it work. I don’t think Diana really wanted them anyway. She probably thought she could just “bait and switch” and get away with it. Let’s be real. They needed the seats filled and they just weren’t getting them. The prices were too high, especially for that lineup. I like the mirrored ball gowns and the spectacular opening wishing it were Mary and Cindy, though but that’s about it. The three of them had virtually no harmony or onstage chemistry from the footage I have seen and the tacky dancers were a big distraction. Lesson learned. It should be included in any music business course about what NOT to do for a tour to be successful.
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Thanks for reading, and sharing. If you didn’t see rapport or chemistry, you’re watching the wrong footage. I caught the show in Detroit, and if ever there was a town that would have eaten Ross alive (pun intended) for doing that show, it would have been Detroit. We ate it up — as did one of Florence Ballard’s kids, who attended the show and went up onstage with Ross & the Supremes.
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I dont think the concert was a bad idea. I was at the Madison square garden show and it was great. Diana did perform with two Supremes. It’s not like Lynda and Scherrie were not Supremes. Mary should not be allowed to stop the show. I would have loved to have seen her on stage with Diana but, she chose to make things so complicated and went on a negative interview marathon bashing Diana and then thought she should be there with her on stage…I think she did herself in with the negativity.
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I agree with Lynda Lawrence on everything she said about Mary Wilson and what could be if Mary apologized to Diana. I was one of those fortunate people who got to see the RTL tour on July 6th 2000 I believe was the date, at Madison square garden in NYC. I had a ball. It was a great show and the audience loved it. Luther Vandross was in the audience and sang the best years of my life with Diana. It was one of the many memorable Diana Ross concerts I got a chance to see. l wish the Supremes would reunite one last time .
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Thanks very much for reading, and sharing your RTL memories. I’ve seen that clip with Ross & Vandross — what a moment!
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I was looking forward to attending the tour, but it never reached the west coast. I’ve attended a FLOS concert featuring Lynda and Scherrie. The audience loved them. They showed so much love that Lynda was visibly touched. You would have thought it was the original line-up. Maybe one day Ross can do a concert on Showtime, HBO, or Netflix. She and Mary could reunite as well as Cindy if she’s able to. While I doubt Ross and Wilson could do an entire tour together, maybe a onetime performance would be to both their liking. I for one would definitely watch. Heck, I’d watch if the line-up included Ross, Lawrence, and Payne. Either way, it would be a fantastic concert! I think the fans would love it!
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This is a great interview with Scherrie and Lynda. They’re both wonderful. I got to see the RTL tour show when it stopped in NYC at Madison square garden on July 6, 2000. It was an incredible show. Having been to every Diana Ross concert in NYC from 1991 to 2016, I must say it was a treat to see her with Lynda and Scherrie. I was’nt even born yet when Diana was with the Supemes. So, this was a treat. I thought Mary Wilson handled the reunion all wrong and that was the reason for her not being part of the RTL tour. I always thought it was envy on her part for Diana. From reading this article and hearing Lynda say she tried to get Mary and Diana to talk so that a reunion could be done almost 20 years after the failed reunion between her Diana in 2000 and ,Mary saying she wanted no parts of it, tells me exactly what I already knew about Mary. She is not genuine and all her talk about her willingness to do a reunion with Diana if Diana wants to do it is BS. An opportunity to be brought together with Diana by Lynda and she declines? That says Mary is a liar as I always said she was. Great article!
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Thanks very much! It was an honor to speak with the ladies!
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Lynda was part of The 70’s Supremes for 18 months. She was part of the “Return to Love” tour for maybe three months. To me, she sounds so arrogant and inappropriate when she makes statements like the ones she made in your article and other places. Sherry’s statements are much more positive about everyone. They rightly blame the fans who gave dirty looks during RTL for a conflict that had nothing to do with her, but was between Diana and Mary and, partly Cindy, who were the two surviving founding members and the first replacement who were Diana Ross.
Having camaraderie with a superstar was to be expected. Lynda and Sherry had been given their dream opportunity to work with as Supremes during a highly visible tour. Maintaining that same camaraderie between members over several years is much harder, and sometimes impossible, when one becomes a superstar. That’s obvious.
Speaking of camaraderie, where was Lynda when Mary invited her and all the 70’s Supremes to appear together at the Grammy Museum? On the recording of the event, Mary paid tribute to each one and said they all had better voices than hers, but she had also taught them a lot. The only other who missed was Cindy due to illness. Mary said on that same recording that Laurence did not respond to the invitation. Also, why is Lynda no longer singing with FLOS?
I saw the videos shown Diana, Lynda, and Sherry behind the singers when they sang at RTL. They looked like updated versions of the ones of Diana, Mary, and Flo running around London or other cities in the 1960’s. As someone who remembers the group well, the new versions looked so fake, disingenuous, and disrespectful to both founding members and to Cindy.
From the other articles I have read, it looks like all 4 of the Supremes who did not participate in RTL felt like they were treated poorly by the promoter. It would be naive to believe that Diana did not have any influence over that process. Promoting RTL on Oprah, she made a joke about Jean, her first Supremes replacement, wanting to fill in for her during her costume changes, so she could join the tour. She also said any of the Supremes who attended any of the shows in any of the cities are welcome to join the ones on stage. These comments are so misleading to the public. Even if they were true, I sincerely doubt that Mary, Jean, or Susaye would have considered this invitation given how they reported they were treated (see Wikipedia “Return to Love” post.) For Diana to say she had no influence or responsibility for how the promoters treated her former singing partners and the ones that came later sounds like a lie. (After all, again on Oprah, she said she purposefully stayed out of it. Were there not repercussions because she did so?)
Lawrence mentions that Mary’s interviews about RTL caused Diana’s children to learn about her past. Her daughters were in their late 20s when Mary was interviewed and revealed her concerns. She did not reveal anything that any of them did not already know, or that younger sons would not eventually learn if they did not know already know them. Lots of people had reported the same information in other interviews all over the Internet.
In the meantime, Diana and these later day Supremes are appearing on high profile TV interviews with Diana saying they don’t understand why Mary was not there, citing negotiation conflicts with the promoters. Ross also gave her side of a phone call with Wilson, on Oprah, saying Wilson had been nasty to her. Ross fails to say that she had waited about six months after the onset of the Planning for the tour before ever contacting Wilson. She failed to consider how Wilson, a co-founder, would feel about that, which most would imagine would be pretty hurt, insulted, and angry. On her 20/20 interview, she again called Wilson out for her behavior and said it was her (Ross’) voice on those songs (as if Ballard’s and Wilson’s were not.) She accused Wilson of making a career out of being a victim. In attempt to make Barbra Walters laugh, she ended by saying she would rather give her money to the charities. (Walter’s stared back with a poker face.)
It seems like Laurence had a clear agenda when she visited Wilson in Vegas. She obviously felt Mary’s importance as founding member of the group was not that big of a deal. She said she told Mary she should and would be a better businesswoman if she apologized to Diana. Perhaps she hoped Wilson would have taken this lead, and paved the way for a new reunion tour, that she (Laurence) could have been a part of. That, of course, will not happen due to Mary’s passing. Mary’s passing should make it clear to Laurence that her business sense is off. The public has no interest in a Diana Ross and the Supremes Reunion without Wilson, because of Mary’s many contributions to the group, the brand, and our culture. Sadly, even with their phenomenal voices, the women who became Supremes in the 70’s have virtually no connection to Diana besides the ill-will created by RTL.
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Hello. Thanks for reading my piece, and for sharing your perspective.
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Whoops! I forgot my main point! (See previous post.) I do not agree that Return to Love was pulled by the promoters in an attempt to get Diana Ross to sign a contract with them as Laurence states. Again, Ross has too much money, power, and influence for that to be true. Also, what promoter would give up millions of dollars in revenues and risk their reputation to spite a superstar.
I do I agree with something I once read Scherrie Payne said. (Sorry I misspelled your name in the last post, Miss Payne!) I read that Payne believed RTL failed because the public wanted to see Diana, Cindy, and Mary together. That’s because they and Flo (before Cindy) were the ones who changed history by breaking a cultural barrier, appealing to all of us, and advocating for civil rights. That was the biggest gift they gave to our country and culture. I am sorry that tensions between Ross and Wilson led to Ross letting a dream of a reunion to celebrate that legacy go.
By the way, I would go to see any of the singers I mentioned In concert including Ross. I am just sorry there will never be no true reunion.
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They gave Diana 20 million and offered Mary and Cindy one million. They say it was not about money, but how could it not be. It was way too much of a disproportion, lead singer or not. Also, Lynda Lawrence was really going hard (auditioning) for another job with Diana.
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Thanks for reading my piece, and taking the time to comment. The promoters didn’t offer Ross $20 million. Where’d you get your information about Lawrence “auditioning?”
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Well! I did see RTL at Madison Square Garden and I loved it! Admittedly I am a Diana diehard fan and could have cared less if 2 trained seals were with Diana! I was there to see and hear Diana (which happened). With that said-I agree it was a calamity and should have been dismissed since Mary & Cindy were not going to be in the lineup! I understand Mary’s perspective once she was approached. But initially Diana had plans to do her usual solo thing – which morphed into the idea of a “Diana Ross” and the Supremes reunion. Unfortunately Mary was in denial of her assessment that her status as the fore bearer of the original Supremes was comparable to the status of “Diana Ross”. It was never going to be billed as Diana Ross and Mary Wilson and the Supremes RTL! Essentially that was Mary’s goal (give or take). She felt that the Supremes in this tour should be equal to Diana Ross. This was Mary’s insanity to think that the promoters or any other business minded person would see it that way. Diana was not the producer or the promoter of this endeavor. It was never going to be a 50/50 split (period). Even after Diana personally offered to sweeten the pie- Mary still was not satisfied! So instead of directing her venom at the promoters she went after Diana with vengeance (the woman who already had a history of financially aiding Mary over the years). In retrospect Diana moved ahead with the project I think to show Mary that this show could successfully go on without her or Cindy.
(It is said that Cindy regrets allowing Mary to negotiate the deal). Too bad so many personal dynamics were at play – it could have been epic…
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