When The Supremes and The Temptations teamed up for a medley of each other's hits

9 February 2021, 15:29 | Updated: 13 October 2023, 14:01

Supremes and the Temptations
Supremes and the Temptations. Picture: CBS/Ed Sullivan Show

By Tom Eames

The Supremes and The Temptations were Motown's biggest acts in the mid-1960s, and they teamed up for a stunning medley on America's biggest TV show at the height of their fame.

The Temptations started life as The Primes, while The Supremes were created as a sister group called The Primettes.

However, the two groups soon found success on their own merit, and scored dozens of hits each across the 1960s and 1970s.

Read more: Gold's Hall of Fame - The Supremes

On November 19, 1967, the Supremes and the Temptations appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, after the TV host and Motown chief Berry Gordy worked together to pull off a fantastic show for millions tuning in at home.

Diana Ross and The Supremes opened the show with a performance of 'In & Out of Love', before The Temptations came on stage to perform 'Hello Young Lovers', followed by the soulful version of 'Don’t Look Back'.

The Temptations and the Supremes
The Temptations and the Supremes. Picture: CBS/Ed Sullivan Show

Later on in the show, The Supremes and The Temptations appeared on a bright pink stage together and performed each other’s hits in a fantastic medley.

The two Motown groups took turns, with The Supremes singing 'Get Ready' and 'I’m Losing You', while The Temptations performed The Supremes classics 'Stop! In The Name of Love' and 'Baby Love'.

It's a fantastic sight to see Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Mary Wilson, Eddie Kendricks and their fellow performers appear on stage together at the same time.

Watch the medley below:

The Temptations and Diana Ross & The Supremes "Hits Medley" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Mary Wilson passed away at the age of 76 on February 8, 2021. Diana Ross paid tribute, saying: “I have so many wonderful memories of our time together. ‘The Supremes’ will live on in our hearts."

Speaking to Gold in 2019, Mary revealed she would like the legend of The Supremes to live on, preferably with a biopic based on her various autobiographical books."I would love my books – I have four books. But my first book was Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which was a bestseller.

"And I did try to option that out for a movie. And because of the movie and the play, Dreamgirls, people didn’t want to touch it, because: 'Oh, the story’s already been told.'"But it’s not been told. Not our story. "[Dreamgirls the movie] was a great project. What can I say? And I’ve seen it many times. I thought it was a wonderful thing."

Supremes legend Mary Wilson on Motown's 60th and its ongoing legacy

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