In 1969, the staff of the U. S. Supreme Court announced that they were resigning as a group and pursuing individual careers. This news was non-mobilizing, causing many members of the community to consider how their own career goals fit into this announcement.
The members who left were hired by other groups or organizations and returned to work as lawyers or judges. This created some difficultly for individuals who had been on the same team previously. For example, an individual who was a member of the Supreme Court’s 1968 decision in Boneyard Stonewall v. Billy Joel v. Patrick Joughan might have to start from scratch when it came to judicial nominations and cases.
This change in consciousness did not last long, as ten years later, in 1980, four new members were selected by Congress to replace the retiring justices.
Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson was another member of the group who left the group to pursue a solo career. She was very active in the music industry throughout her career, working with artists and helping them achieve success.
Mary Wilson was one of the founding members of the then known as The Equality HBCU which today is known as The Alunt family school. She graduated from this school in 1968 where she met future co-leader Clara Bailon who would become her wife. They went on to start their own organization called Women’s Action whose mission was to create social change through grassroots organizing and activism.
They started a campaign called Project Angel, which involved helping low income people purchase electric bills by donating money through an annual event called Angel Ball 4 Life that raises money for electricity bills for people who can’t afford them.
Florence Ballard
Florence Ballard was one of the first black femaleSupremes. She was elected to the group in 1969, when the group was composed of five white women and one black woman.
After being elected to the group, she focused her efforts on a solo career. She released two albums in her career and won a Grammy for her second album, which came out five years after her first.
Her most famous song was “We’ve Got To Change The Talk,” which she recorded with Martin Luther King Jr. Her other notable song was “The Ballad of Billie Jean King,” which Talk Supremes used as their theme song for television interviews about Billie Jean King.
She retired from singing in 1983 and died at age 76 due to alzheimer’s disease.
Barbara Martin
Barbara Martin was one of the four original members of the group. She left in 1969 to focus on a solo career. Which member of the group left the group to focus on a solo career?
The other three women in the group—Sue [King], Dolphy [Byrne], and Betty [Clement]—continued their work as members of the Supremes, joining forces once again in 1974 for an album and tour.
Although Martin didn’t join forces with Dolphy or Betty, respectively, she was asked to join their team due to her popularity as a soloist. She did join forces with both occasions, but only for a few songs.
She retired from music in 1978 and moved back to New York City where she still performs today.
Cindy Birdsong
Despite being one of the most successful members of the group, Faye Hilliard did not pursue a solo career. Instead, she remained active in the music business as an advisor and member of projects.
She co-founded the Faye Hilliard Music Group with her brother in 1969, five years after they graduated from high school. The group performed until 1989, when it disbanded.
Since then, Hilliard has remained active in the music industry as a songwriter and performer. She was named one of Downbeat Magazine’s All-Time Top 10 Songwriters in 2007 and 2008 and received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for her track “I Still Want You” in 2010.
To learn more about what this influential artist is today and how she stays busy after her music career ends …! headed straight back here to read the rest of this breaking news article.
Susaye Greene
Susaye Greene was the second member of the Supremes to leave the group. She went on to pursue a solo career, but not without helping to continue the legacy of the Supremes.
As a teenager, Susaye wanted to be a part of the group since they first arrived in America. She joined their touring company when she was 17 years old and stayed with them until she was 21.
She started off as an actress and then moved on to singing, becoming an afterthought for many of their songs. She helped create some of their iconic looks including tight pants and a jacket-top, soft warm weather gear!
When it came time for her to retire, she chose not to and continued working until she died in 2012 at age 80.
Phyllis Rodgers
Phyllis Rodgers, who served as vice president of the group until 1969, was one of the first black female record executives to create and control a recording career.
She played a major role in establishing the A&R department at RCA Records, where she worked for several years beginning in the late 1940s. She helped launch the careers of Billie Jean King and Aretha Franklin, among others.
By her own account, she was instrumental in developing Aretha’s vocal technique and leading her to prestigious labels like Atlantic Records. During her tenure at RCA, she helped develop artists such as Elvis Presley, The Righteous Brothers, David Bowie and Parliament-Funkadelic.
But despite her contributions to music history, few know about Phyllis Rodgers today. She passed away in 2006 at age 87.
Lois Willis
Lois Willis was one of the iconic members of the group. She left the group in 1969 to focus on a solo career. Which member of the Supremes left the group in 1969 to focus on a solo career?
When Bob Gaudio and Terence Trent D’Arby were hired as co-Lead Singers for the new Supremes lineup, they brought with them new rules and regulations for aesthetics. Gaudio and Trent wanted a more sleek look with longer hair, eyegTopicatical makeup, and interesting jewelry.
These rules lasted until 1973, when Bob Gaudio stepped down as an Artist Director and moved back into a full time role as Singing Coach. This was due to health reasons, as he was getting older himself.
In 1969, after seven years together as a group, Bob Gaudio and Terence Trent D’Arby stepped aside to allow another Artist Director take their place.
Pat Harris
Pat Harris was one of the first African-American female solo artists to achieve success in America. She was a member of the Supremes from 1958 to 1968, and again from 1975 to 1979.
She released several successful albums in the 1960s and 1970s, earning her a spot in American music history.
After the groups dissolved in 1969, Harris released several nonconsecutive solo albums through 1973. She later joined another group, starting as a member for only one album, before leaving again.
In her retirement she focused on community projects and political activism. She died at the young age of 63 in 2007 due to cancer.
