- IMDb Mini Biography By: Feb 21, 2014 Ratings: +71,205 / 1,615 / -893. Florence Glenda Wilson Ballard was born and grew up in Detroit. The group performed at talent showcases and at school parties before auditioning for Motown Records in 1960. The agency had been led by Leonard Baun, Ballard's attorney who had helped to settle Ballard's matters with Motown. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-one hits. On July 1, the day after her 24th birthday, Ballard showed up inebriated during the group's third performance at the Flamingo and stuck her stomach out from her suit. After winning a settlement from a slip-and-fall incident in which she had broken her leg, Ballard took the money and used it to put herself through a successful rehab and got herself back into shape. [9][14][9][11] Jesse, an amateur musician, helped inspire Florence's interest in singing; he taught her various songs and accompanied her on guitar. [41] The central character of Effie White, like Florence Ballard, is criticized for being overweight, and is fired from the group. Though Ballard played tambourine, she didn't sing and told Wilson she had no ambition to sing any more. The movie, nominated for eight Oscars, is a thinly veiled account of Berry Gordy's empire and his banner group, the Supremes. So weird. "[32] All in all, Ballard contributed vocals to ten number-one pop hits and 16 top forty hit singles between 1963 and 1967. As much as Deena Jones, Beyoncé Knowles' character in "Dreamgirls," was modeled on Diana Ross, the film's main character, Effie White, was based on Etta James, according to composer Henry Krieger. He says the character of Lorrell Robinson in the show is based on Wilson; Deena Jones is based on Diana Ross and Effie White is based on Florence Ballard. Wilson believes that the incident heavily contributed to the more self-destructive aspects of Ballard's adult personality, like cynicism, pessimism, and fear or distrust of others,[22] but the rape was never mentioned again. Name: Effie P White Age in 1910: 22 Birth Year: abt 1888 Birthplace: Illinois Home in 1910: New Salem, Pike, Illinois Race: White Gender: Female Relation to Head of House: Daughter Marital Status: Single Father's Name: Andrew White Father's Birthplace: Illinois Mother's name: Margaret E White … After an album for the label was shelved, her settlement money was depleted from the Chapmans' management agency, Talent Management, Inc. In January 1969, Ballard performed at one of newly elected President Richard Nixon's inaugural balls. During live shows, Ballard often performed the Barbra Streisand standard, "People". I … Ballard struggled with alcoholism, depression, and poverty for three years. [5][6][7][8] Her siblings were Bertie, Cornell, Jesse, Jr., Gilbert, Geraldine, Barbara, Maxine, Billy, Calvin, Pat, Linda and Roy. As part of the settlement, Ballard was advised to not promote her solo work as a former member of the Supremes. [42] The music video for the Diana Ross song "Missing You" pays tribute to Marvin Gaye, Ballard, and Paul Williams, all former Motown artists who had died. To start, her role as Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Already a member? Jennifer Hudson won a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in the Dreamgirls film. Similarly, who are the Dreamgirls based on? The movie isn’t short on adversity, although it does stop short of being a tragedy—especially given the fate ultimately met by Effie’s real-life counterpart, Florence Ballard. In June, Gordy changed the group's name to "The Supremes with Diana Ross", which was how they were billed on the marquee of Las Vegas' Flamingo Hotel. The real story of the 1960s girl … [11] The Ballards moved to Detroit in 1929 as part of the Great Migration[12]. Management Team Founding Volunteer (FV): Jeffrey "J" Prothero Founding Volunteer (FV): Jeffrey "J" Prothero Born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, I was blessed to have a dad who required of my having a hard work ethic and the know-how to do things right. She continued to perform as a solo artist, opening for Bill Cosby that September at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. Besides her three daughters, Ballard's family included her cousin, rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Hank Ballard, and his grandnephew, NFL player Christian Ballard; she was also an aunt of the Detroit electronic musician Omar-S.[45], "Florence Ballard | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV", "Oscar-nominated film renews interest in Florence Ballard, the real 'Dreamgirl, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/130291351, "Supremes' Flo Ballard: It's Said She's Leaving", "Florence Ballard: Ex-Supreme Fights to Get Off Welfare", "Florence Ballard dead at 32; Original Member of Supremes", "Supreme Ever After: The Legacy of Florence Ballard", "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire", The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb, Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations, The Supremes Sing Country, Western and Pop, Diana Ross & the Supremes Sing and Perform "Funny Girl", When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes, Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good, Reflections: The Definitive Performances (1964–1969), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florence_Ballard&oldid=1006235835, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1968: "It Doesn't Matter How I Say It (It's What I Say That Matters)" b/w ", This page was last edited on 11 February 2021, at 19:55. Eventually Gordy agreed to sign them under that name on January 15, 1961. Aiming to achieve success for black singers with … Upgrade to PRO Sign Up for PRO to view suggested audition pieces! In July 1971, Ballard sued Motown for additional royalty payments she believed she was due to receive; she was defeated in court by Motown. Ballard responded by secluding herself in her house refusing to come outside, which worried her groupmates. Courtesy of Brandon Patterson The crew didn't expect celebrity presence in their rooms but were happy to … 13,097 885. Eventually Ross became the lead singer and Ballard grew dissatisfied with the group's management, she began drinking and was fired in 1967 for missing recording sessions and performances. Deena Jones is one with look. The Billy Bragg song "King James Version" on his William Bloke album contains the line "Remember the sadness in Florence Ballard's eyes". A week earlier, on February 22, Ballard and Motown negotiated to have Ballard released from the label. [33] Ballard blamed Motown Records for destroying the group dynamic by making Diana Ross the star. In early 1975, Ballard received an insurance settlement from her former attorney's insurance company. In 1988, Ballard was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes alongside Diana Ross and Mary Wilson. She married her boyfriend Thomas Chapman and attempted a solo career with ABC Records. Following news that Baun was facing multiple embezzlement charges, Ballard fired him. Patterson told Insider that there's also has a secret special guest who will perform as Effie White during the final show. On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Florence Ballard among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. Ross and Wilson were sympathetic. [33] Ballard's alcoholism led to her missing performances and recording sessions. She died at 10:05 ET the next morning from cardiac arrest[39] caused by a coronary thrombosis (a blood clot in one of her coronary arteries),[40] at the age of 32. [34] It had been decided as early as May that Birdsong would be Ballard's official replacement once Birdsong's contract with the Bluebelles was bought out. On February 21, 1976, Ballard entered Mt. She sang, The Effie White character from the Broadway play (and film) "Dreamgirls" is loosely based on Ballard. [2] Ballard was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes in 1988. Curtis presents himself as the Dreamettes' new manager and arranges for the Dreamettes to become backup singers for local R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Ballard was dropped by ABC in 1970. She in 2016 played Effie White for Dreamgirls in London. Detroit-based The Dreamettes, a black girl singing group, is comprised of lead Effie White, and her backup singers Deena Jones and Lorrell Robinson. Effie White is a doppelgänger for Florence Ballard, original lead singer of the Supremes; the character's vocal stylings and personality are based upon soul singer Etta James. Financial difficulties forced the Ballard family to move to different Detroit neighborhoods; by the time Florence turned 15 they had settled at Detroit's Brewster-Douglass housing projects, and the next year Jesse Lambert Ballard died of cancer. In early 1975, Florence received a monetary settlement from her former attorney's insurance company, reconciled with Chapman and decided to return to singing. In April 1967, Cindy Birdsong, member of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, became a stand-in for Ballard. Afterwards, she started receiving offers for interviews; Jet magazine was one of the first to report on Ballard and her recovery.[38]. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars. |  In 1972, she moved into her sister Maxine's house. Members of her extended family, who live in Atlanta and … After she was accepted, Ballard recruited Mary Wilson to join Jenkins' group. Both Wilson and Jesse Green, an early boyfriend of Florence's, had described her as a "generally happy if somewhat mischievous and sassy teenager." Gordy sometimes replaced Ballard on stage with the Andantes' Marlene Barrow. The settlement money helped her buy a house on Shaftsbury Avenue. She would also claim that their schedule had forced the group members to drift apart. [17] Betty McGlown completed the original lineup and Jenkins named them as "The Primettes".
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