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Jean Terrell Biography

jean-terrell
  • Born: November 26, 1944 in Mississippi
  • Years Active: 1960s-1970s
  • Member of: The Supremes
  • Genre: R & B

Los Angeles-based singer Jean Terrell sang with her brother Ernie (who later became a championship boxer) in the group Ernie Terrell & the Knockouts in the '60s. This hardly prepared her for a historic role as the Supremes' new vocalist in 1969 when she replaced Diana Ross. Of course, she didn't equal Ross' exploits, but the group scored three huge hits in the early '70s with "Up the Ladder to the Roof," "Stoned Love," and "Nathan Jones." "Stoned Love" was the final number one R&B and pop hit for the Supremes in 1970, while both "Nathan Jones" and "Up the Ladder to the Roof" were Top Ten pop and R&B hits in 1971 and 1970, respectively. The Supremes continued recording and performing until 1976, after which Terrell went solo. She recorded briefly for A&M, but didn't make much impact. During the '90s, Terrell revisited her Supremes heritage by recording for England's Motorcity label as lead singer of Jean, Scherrie & Lynda of the Supremes. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi

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