Jean Terrell as born in Belzoni Mississippi, one of ten children, her family moving to Chicago when she was six. She sang with her Brother Ernie in his group Ernie and The Heavyweights recording singles for Argo, Calla and Fury in the sixties. Ernie was the one time husband of Motown artist, the late Tammi Terrell, and displaced Mohammed Ali as WBA Heavyweight champion, when Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to serve in Vietnam.

Jean is best known for replacing Diana Ross as the lead vocalist with the Supremes in late 1969. She sang on many of their early 70’s hits ‘Up The Ladder To The Roof’, ‘Stoned Love’, ‘Nathan Jones’, ‘Bad Weather’ as well as ‘Floy Joy’ and ‘Automatically Sunshine’ with Mary Wilson, and ‘River Deep Mountain High’ with Levi Stubbs.

Apparently Berry Gordy tried to prevent Jean joining the Supremes at the last minute as he felt uneasy at Jean’s forthright approach, preferring Syretta Wright as Diana’s replacement, But Mary Wilson refused and Gordy ‘washed his hands of the group’ which may explain the lack of promotion they subsequently received.

Jean left the Supremes in 1973 due to her Jehovah Witness religion, eventually being replaced by Scherrie Payne. Fourteen years later she would line up with Scherrie and Lynda Laurence as FLOS (former ladies of the Supremes), touring and recording for the Motor City label, and in 2004 she released a biographical DVD ‘Through The Eyes Of A Supreme’.

In 1978 Jean signed to A&M and recorded this album ‘I Had To Fall In Love’, but unfortunately A&M’s plans for her conflicted with her religious beliefs and she quickly left the label, the album doing very little at the time. Fortunately the album came to the fore in the ‘Rare Groove’ revival in the late 80’s/early 90’s, with two Grey and Hanks written songs, the two stepper ‘How Can You Live Without Love’ (also recorded by themselves in the same year), and the modern soul dancer ‘No Limit’ (later recorded by Breakwater) becoming very popular. Jeans excellent version of the much recorded ‘Rising Cost Of Love’ is another track that stands out, although the album is strong throughout and heavily in demand across the world, as this is its first release on CD.

Laurence Prangell
Soul Brother Records
May 2006.


TRACKLISTING