Mark Ribowsky, THE SUPREMES biographer: Mr. Media Radio Interview

Michael Jackson not discovered by Diana Ross, The Supremes biographer tells Mr. Media!

At their height, they were “living the dream, looking impeccable and flawless to a fault.” Yet they began as four girls from the projects of Detroit who just loved to sing—four girls who were desperate to get on the road. In The Supremes, Mark Ribowsky charts the rise of the most successful female singing group of all time—the first “girl-group” ever to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—as well as the ruthlessness that fed their breakup.

Ribowsky takes us back to the dawn of the Supremes, when they auditioned for Motown producer Berry Gordy in 1960. By 1962, the Supremes had cut down to three singers, signed with Motown Records, and played the Apollo. But while they were touring and living their dream, internal dissent raged. Diana Ross demanded top billing and Gordy, concerned that the big-voiced Flo Ballard wasn’t mainstream enough, anointed Ross as lead singer.

Ribowsky doesn’t shy away from the blind ambition and unmitigated deception that ultimately split the Supremes. But neither does he soft-pedal their role as cultural icons—their rags-to-riches journey, their business savvy in an industry long dominated by men, and the way they transformed not just black music but all music.

Mark Ribowsky is also the author of He’s a Rebel, a biography of producer Phil Spector; Don’t Look Back: Satchel Paige in the Shadows of the Game; A Complete History of the Negro Leagues: 1884-1955; and Slick: The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis.