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Story and Photos By Andy Argyrakis
Out of all the girl groups ever to walk this earth, none is more famous (and occasionally infamous) as The Supremes. Throughout its historic tenure with Motown, the line-up shifted from fearless leader Diana Ross to the enchanting Mary Wilson, backed by a handful of harmony singers that were just as soulful as they were glamorous. Such is the case of Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence, who first found fame during the group's latter years, but also spent time on tour with the leading diva Miss Ross during The Supremes' "Return To Love" tour in 2000.
Since 1986, The Flos (the former ladies of The Supremes, alongside newer third member Joyce Vincent from Tony Orlando & Dawn) have toured on the group's greatest hits, in turn, building a loyal following for fans of the Detroit-bred legends and introducing the rotating trio's tunes to a younger generation. Such was the case at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino during a classy matinee that was loaded with tight vocals, even snugger evening gowns and tons of vintage chorography.
Though it will always be a challenge for these ladies to be measured against other iconic members (even if the group's endorsed by Ross and also supported by Wilson), they still demonstrated poise and confidence, not to mention a slick chemistry that's come with so much time on the road. Tunes like "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Come See About Me" and "Baby Love" ushered in the carefree spirit of the 1960s, but were also stepped in such solid song craftsmanship and timeless arrangements that they had no trouble translating to today.
The same couldn't be said about its brief sidestep into the disco era, which catchy as those sounds may have been for that particular time period, unfortunately lacked the layer of original Motown magic. Thankfully though, the trio still had plenty more golden oldies up its sleeve, including treasured sing-a-longs like "Stop! In the Name of Love" (complete with the hand motions) and "You Can't Hurry Love." Across the compact but just right 90-minute set, The Flos may have unapologetically waxed nostalgia, but along the way, ensured one of the greatest vocal groups in Motown (and general musical) history is being preserved with nearly pitch perfect pride.
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