Jean Terrell

Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1945) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in 1970.

Biography

Early life and career

Terrell was born on 26 November 1945 in Belzoni, Mississippi. She was born into a family of ten children, whose father was a Mississippi sharecropper who during Terrell's childhood moved the family north to Chicago when he found employment in the factories.

She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight boxing champion Ernie Terrell, who fought Muhammad Ali.

Before her career with the Supremes, she sang with her brother Ernie in the group Ernie Terrell and the Knockouts (sometimes the Heavyweights).

The Supremes (1970–1973)

Motown president Berry Gordy discovered Terrell in 1969 in Miami, where she was performing with her brother at a club. Looking for a replacement for Diana Ross, who was leaving the group she had fronted during most of the 1960s, the Supremes, for a solo career, Gordy first signed Terrell to Motown as a solo artist, but decided to join her with the Supremes as Ross's replacement alongside Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, as announced in 1969.

After Ross's farewell show with the group at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970, Terrell joined the group on stage to be presented to the press and public. After this introduction, according to Mary Wilson, Gordy changed his mind about Terrell leading the group and suggested replacing her with Syreeta Wright. Gordy said:

I don't like Jean. I want to replace her with Syreeta.

Wilson vetoed this move, instead wanting to continue the group with Terrell.

The group scored more chart success at the beginning of the new decade, scoring hits in the United Kingdom, while having several pop and soul hits in the United States, including " Up the Ladder to the Roof", " Everybody's Got the Right to Love", " Stoned Love", " River Deep – Mountain High" (with the Four Tops), " Nathan Jones", and " Floy Joy".

After the success of "Floy Joy," Birdsong quit after getting pregnant and was replaced by Lynda Laurence. During this period Berry Gordy concentrated on Motown's movie and television division, particularly with establishing Diana Ross in Lady Sings The Blues. He turned the record division over to Ewart Abner, with disastrous results. Promotions on the Supremes faltered and the trio went to Motown and asked for help in continuing with the act. Record sales soon diminished including the critically acclaimed album produced on the group by Jimmy Webb. At this point The Supremes agreed that if Motown did not reverse their lack of interest within a year, the trio would go to another label even if it meant giving up the name. Another critically acclaimed single produced by Stevie Wonder, Bad Weather, also failed which made Jean Terrell quite bitter. Additionally, concert reviewers reacted negatively to the group resurrecting the old Diana Ross & The Supremes stage show. In June 1973, Jean asked Berry Gordy to release her from her contract. Lynda Laurence, pregnant with her son, did the same a month later. Mary Wilson replaced them by returning Cindy Birdsong to the fold and recruiting Scherrie Payne, Freda Payne's sister.

Solo career

Signing a contract with A&M Records, A&M issued a solo album by Terrell, '' I Had to Fall in Love'', in 1978, which did not make impact on any charts, however she did promote the title track on the Dinah! show in July 1978. She did have a minor hit with "Don't Stop Reaching for the Top", which peaked at #72 on the R&B charts. Despite A&M's plans to extensively promote Terrell in an effort to boost their R & B division, Terrell declined to travel extensively and leave her family, and complained that certain plans A&M had for her conflicted with her Jehovah Witness beliefs. The album failed and she was dropped. In the early 1980s, Terrell put together a one-woman show, and did limited touring throughout the United States, and her act consisted of several Supremes songs, songs from her solo album and cover versions of songs by Bette Midler and Lionel Richie. Laurence would often perform background vocals for Terrell throughout the shows in the tour. Another who performed backing vocals for Terrell during these tours was Freddi Poole, later a member of Payne and Laurence's group the Former Ladies of the Supremes.

Former Ladies of the Supremes

In 1985, eight years after the Supremes officially broke up in 1977, Payne was signed to SuperStar International Records, a Los Angeles-based record label. Her then-partner Ronnie Phillips approached her with the idea of reforming the Supremes, to which she agreed, and asked Wilson and Birdsong to join the group. Wilson declined, instead opting to continue her solo career, while Birdsong agreed and persuaded Terrell to join the new group.

The grouping of Terrell, Payne and Birdsong set about forming a spinoff group of the Supremes, although due to contractual difficulties over the ownership of the name. They decided to create an entirely new group using the abbreviation "FLOS", for the name the Former Ladies of the Supremes. Before the group began their career, Birdsong left for a solo career, and Laurence joined the lineup alongside Terrell and Payne, replacing Birdsong just as she had in 1972, and the group released the song "We're Back", released on SuperStar International Records. However, the label did not have national distribution, the song failed to chart and the label folded after. The group began touring and performing in shows around this time, making their debut at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in 1987. By then, they recorded several singles for the United Kingdom-based Motorcity Records label for Ian Levine throughout 1989 and 1990, joining a roster of former Motown artists. After several single releases out of the United Kingdom failed to catch on, Terrell again became disenchanted and suddenly dropped out of the group.

Recent years

In December 1992, Terrell left the group and was replaced by Sundray Tucker. 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. In 2004, Terrell released a biographical DVD, "Through the Eyes of a Supreme", and has continued to sing onstage with various jazz musicians. A planned CD of Jazz music never materialized after her DVD release. She has made an occasional appearance onstage (along with Poole and Mary Flowers), singing Supremes hits.

Personal life

Jean married Juan Thompson in 1973 shortly after leaving The Supremes. They divorced in the mid 1980s. The union produced two sons, Jason and Jonathan. She stopped performing after 2008 and lives a reclusive life in Los Angeles. She is an active Jehovah Witness and has renounced show business.

Discography

Albums

;With The Supremes

Singles

References

Notes

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Terrell, Jean
1944 births
Living people
20th-century African-American women singers
20th-century American women singers
20th-century American singers
A&M Records artists
American rhythm and blues singers
People from Belzoni, Mississippi
The Supremes members
Motown artists