The Woman Who Built The Supremes — And Died On Welfare While Diana Ross Became A Legend

The Woman Who Built The Supremes — And Died On Welfare While Diana Ross Became A Legend #thesupremes #FlorenceBallard #DianaRoss #Motown #MusicHistory #WhatKilledTheBand #ClassicSoul #60sMusic #BerryGordy #ForgottenHistory #nostalgia She named the group. She found the girls. She built the sound. And she died at 32 — broke, forgotten, on welfare — while the woman she recruited became one of the most famous entertainers on earth. Most people know The Supremes as Diana Ross and two other women. Most people couldn't tell you those other women's names. That's not an accident. That's the story. Florence Ballard was the founder of The Supremes. She chose the name. She recruited Diana Ross from the neighborhood. She sang on every number one hit. And when Berry Gordy decided he wanted a different kind of star — Florence was the one who paid the price. In this video we dig deep into the real story behind The Supremes — the Motown machine that built them, the identity erasure that destroyed one of them, and the devastating human cost of an industry that saw young women as raw material rather than people. From the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit to ten number one singles. From the night at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas that ended everything — to a welfare check in a small Detroit house while Diana Ross sold out arenas around the world. This is not a story about Diana Ross. This is the story of Florence Ballard. The woman the music industry decided it didn't need anymore. Chapters: 00:00 — The Woman They Forgot 02:15 — Three Girls From The Projects 06:30 — The Machine and The Dream 11:45 — Ten Number Ones and a Slow Erasure 17:20 — The Night at The Flamingo 22:10 — The Fall 27:00 — The Funeral and What It Meant 30:45 — What Actually Killed Florence Ballard About What Killed The Band 🎥 Videos - 20th century American history nostalgia and vintage video's 🎨 Written, voiced and produced by What Killed The Band 🔔 Subscribe now for more 20th century American history and nostalgia videos Watch More from What Killed The Band 🟢 / @whatkilledtheband _____________________________________________________ 💼 Business Inquiries and Contact • For business inquiries, copyright matters or other inquiries please contact us at: [email protected]. ⚠️ Copyright Disclaimers • We use images and content in accordance with the YouTube Fair Use copyright guidelines • Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” • This video could contain certain copyrighted video clips, pictures, or photographs that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyright holder(s), but which we believe in good faith are protected by federal law and the fair use doctrine for one or more of the reasons noted above.