Lynda Laurence Bio
THE SUPREMES 1972 (L-R) Mary Wilson, Jean Terrell & Lynda Laurence
Diana Ross & The Supremes 2000 (L-R) Lynda Laurence, Diana Ross & Scherrie Payne
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Lynda LaurenceLynda Laurence is the daughter of gospel singing Legend Ira Tucker of the “Dixie Hummingbirds.” She was born and raised in Philadelphia PA. and has been singing since she was a young child. Her earliest performance was at the “MET” in Philadelphia at age of 5. Lynda began traveling with her father’s group The Dixie Hummingbirds at a very young age and traveled with them for several years as their opening act. After graduating from high school, Lynda moved to Detroit, the home of Motown Records.
Then, in 1969 Lynda recorded “Signed, Sealed Delivered” with Steve Wonder. When the song became a massive hit Stevie asked Lynda to select a few ladies for his touring backing trio, and they became “The Third Generation.” In late 1971, Cindy Birdsong was leaving The Supremes. Lynda caught the eye of The Supremes at the Carter Barron Theatre in Washington, DC, while onstage singing with Stevie Wonder. The Supremes asked Lynda to audition and was ultimately chosen as the newest Supreme! Lynda first appearance with The Supremes was on the album cover of their 1972 release, “Floy Joy.” With Lynda on board, the group released the critically acclaimed, “The Supremes, Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb” LP, and the fan favorite LP “Live in Japan 1973.” The Supremes next single release was entitled, “Bad Weather,” co-written by Stevie Wonder and Lynda’s Brother Ira Tucker, Jr. produced by Stevie Wonder on the Motown label. In late 1973, Lynda departed from The Supremes and took on a new role as a wife and mother to her son Trevor Lawrence. Lynda continued singing and in 1975 she was the featured vocalist on the Brazilian Jazz artist Moacir Santos’ Jazz album“Carnival.” The next year, 1976, she again worked with Stevie Wonder on his Motown LP, “Songs In the Key of Life.” In that same year, Lynda teamed up with “The Wilton Place Street Band” and recorded "Disco Lucy," which was a disco re-working of the theme song to the classic “I Love Lucy show.” Also in 1976, Lynda teamed with Harry Nillson on a medley entitled “Just One Look/Baby I’m Yours,” which was featured on his 1976 LP “That’s The Way It. From 1981 to 1984 Lynda travelled the world with Joe Cocker as a background vocalist. Joe nicknamed Lynda his "Personal Supreme." In the 1980’s, Lynda was an in demand background and demo session singer. As a solo artist she recorded the songs "(Give Me Back) A Little Piece Of My Heart", "Life Is The Reason" and "Make Your Own Kind Of Music", among others, which were released under the name of Norma Lewis. When she was not recording, Lynda performed solo jazz shows all over the world. In 1986, Scherrie Payne, Lynda Laurence and Jean Terrell – all former Supremes – joined together and started a new group. Their vision was to rekindle the glamour, style, and music of The Supremes. The name for the trio was a natural evolution. They decided to call themselves, "The Former Ladies of The Supremes.” Lynda recorded and performed as a member of this trio through 2017. In the early 1990’s Lynda recorded solo on the UK based MotorCity Records label. The songs included “Forever”, "I'm Not Taking A Chance", "Right Around Midnight", "If This World We're Mine", "Outside Looking In", "The Man In My Life", "Fresh Out Of Tears", and "It's A Crying Shame,” and several more. In the Summer of 2000, Diana Ross and The Supremes began their USA “Return to Love” tour. The tour rolled out with Diana Ross, Scherrie Payne, and Lynda Laurence as The Supremes trio. As a member of Diana Ross & The Supremes, Lynda appeared on The Oprah Winfrey show, The VH-1’s Divas special, The View, and The Today Show. Diana Ross was quoted on the “Oprah” show saying “They (Scherrie and Lynda) have toured over the last 30 years as ‘The Former ladies of The Supremes.’ And one of the things that’s been really wonderful is they’ve kept the legacy alive.” After the Return to Love tour ended, Lynda and Scherrie continued to perform world wide as the Former Ladies of the Supremes. In 2017, Lynda took a haitus from The Former Ladies of The Supremes, it truly was the end of an era for the group. However, in 2024 Lynda has returned as a full fledged member of The Former Ladies of The Supremes. Lynda Laurence is proud of her Supremes' legacy and continues to……………. “KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING.” |