A SUPREME PERFORMANCE On July 29 1965 three young stood before the audience African American women at the Copacabana a popular nightclub in New York City Diana Ross Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard were part of a singing group called the Supremes The nightclub could fit 650 people and it was full The audience included celebrities and people who regularly visited the club Many of these people were white and middle aged This was not the Supremes typical audience The Motown group the Supremes became widely popular in the 1960s through both live and televised performances
THE STYLISH SUPREMES As the Supremes gained popularity their look became more sophisticated They wore sequined gowns and wigs of different hairstyles Fake eyelashes large earrings and makeup helped them look dramatic and elegant Gordy wanted to make the group unique among girl groups Other girl groups at the time had different styles The Shirelles had a simple fashion style not fancy The Ronettes wore bold clothes The trendsetting Supremes became the definition of glamour But they cheered as the Supremes took their places THE COPACABANA The Supremes were a Motown group Their songs featured the Motown sound The songs were mostly happy and they were rhythmic with a heavy beat The music made listeners want to move and dance The Supremes were not the first black singers to perform at the Copacabana But they were the first artists from Motown to play there Though the South was known for segregation the practice was
also common in the North including in New York City restaurants Until the club integrated in 1957 the Copacabana had not allowed black customers Even eight years later the Copacabana’s audience was primarily white The Supremes songs were already popular among both black and white audiences But the Supremes manager Berry Gordy Jr knew this would be an important show for the group The Copacabana was a long way from the group’s humble beginnings The nightclub would hopefully be a stepping stone to the best venues in the United States THE SUPREMES Ross Wilson and Ballard had grown up together in the 1940s and 1950s Their families had all lived in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects in Detroit Michigan These housing projects were for working-class and poor families The three young women had started singing together in 1959 Gordy signed the women
