Barbara Diane Martin Richardson (June 16, 1943 – March 4, 2020) was an American singer, best known as one of the original members of Motown group The Supremes. She was born in Detroit.
Barbara Martin
Birth name
Barbara Diane Martin
Also known as
Barbara Richardson
Born
(1943-06-016)June 16, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died
March 4, 2020(2020-03-04) (aged 76) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
After Betty McGlown left the Primettes due to her upcoming nuptials, Martin replaced her in the group in 1960.[1] She and her group mates, Diana Ross (then known as Diane), Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, signed a recording contract with Motown founder Berry Gordy on January 15, 1961, as the Supremes, a name that Ballard had chosen (as she was the only group member in the studio at the time) from a list provided by Motown songwriter Janie Bradford; the group became part of the Motown stable of performers.[2]
While recording a handful of early singles, none of which became hits, Martin, Wilson, Ross, and Ballard worked as studio backing singers, providing vocals and rhythmic effects, such as hand claps, for Motown's leading groups. In October 1961, Martin became pregnant. Her husband supported her decision to stay in the group, but she left in the early spring of 1962 – leaving Ross, Wilson and Ballard as a trio.[3]
Although Martin sang on many of the group's early singles (including a shared lead vocal with Diana Ross on "(He's) Seventeen"), and most of the tracks on the group's first album Meet the Supremes, she is not pictured on the album's cover.[4]
Later lifeedit
After leaving the group, Martin eventually earned a degree in psychology and worked in mental health.[5] Out of respect for Diana Ross and Mary Wilson, she never spoke publicly about her tenure with the Primettes/Supremes.[6] She denied interviews over the years, with the exception of one interview she gave in 2009 for the 2010 release of Meet the Supremes: Expanded Edition.[5]
barbara, martin, singer, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, barbara, martin, singer, news, newspapers, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Barbara Martin singer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Barbara Diane Martin Richardson June 16 1943 March 4 2020 was an American singer best known as one of the original members of Motown group The Supremes She was born in Detroit Barbara MartinBirth nameBarbara Diane MartinAlso known asBarbara RichardsonBorn 1943 06 016 June 16 1943Detroit Michigan U S DiedMarch 4 2020 2020 03 04 aged 76 Detroit Michigan U S GenresR amp B popOccupation s SingerInstrument s VocalsYears active1960 1962LabelsMotown Contents 1 Career 2 Later life 3 References 4 External linksCareer editAfter Betty McGlown left the Primettes due to her upcoming nuptials Martin replaced her in the group in 1960 1 She and her group mates Diana Ross then known as Diane Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard signed a recording contract with Motown founder Berry Gordy on January 15 1961 as the Supremes a name that Ballard had chosen as she was the only group member in the studio at the time from a list provided by Motown songwriter Janie Bradford the group became part of the Motown stable of performers 2 While recording a handful of early singles none of which became hits Martin Wilson Ross and Ballard worked as studio backing singers providing vocals and rhythmic effects such as hand claps for Motown s leading groups In October 1961 Martin became pregnant Her husband supported her decision to stay in the group but she left in the early spring of 1962 leaving Ross Wilson and Ballard as a trio 3 Although Martin sang on many of the group s early singles including a shared lead vocal with Diana Ross on He s Seventeen and most of the tracks on the group s first album Meet the Supremes she is not pictured on the album s cover 4 Later life editAfter leaving the group Martin eventually earned a degree in psychology and worked in mental health 5 Out of respect for Diana Ross and Mary Wilson she never spoke publicly about her tenure with the Primettes Supremes 6 She denied interviews over the years with the exception of one interview she gave in 2009 for the 2010 release of Meet the Supremes Expanded Edition 5 Martin died in March 2020 at the age of 76 7 References edit Former Supremes singer Barbara Martin dies BBC News 2020 03 06 Retrieved 2020 03 06 At 60 Motown set to celebrate cultural legacy Detroit News Retrieved 2020 03 06 Slonimsky Nicolas amp Kuhn Laura Diane Baker s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Schirmer Books 2001 3539 ISBN 0 02 865527 3 The Supremes Member Barbara Martin Dies Aged 76 Huffington Post Retrieved 2020 03 06 a b BARBARA MARTIN DIES Soulandjazzandfunk com Retrieved 2020 03 09 Where is Barbara Martin Soulfuldetroit com Retrieved 2020 03 06 Pike Molly March 5 2020 Original member of The Supremes dies at 76 Mirror co uk External links editBarbara Martin discography at Discogs nbsp United States portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Barbara Martin singer amp oldid 1217842620, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
