About the Author

Peter Benjaminson is the author of Death in the Afternoon: America's Newspaper Giants Struggle for Survival, Secret Police: Inside the New York City Department of Investigation, and The Story of Motown, and is the coathor of Investigative Reporting. He is a former reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Detroit Free Press. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

"Flo Ballard's remarkable story is a personal Greek tragedy. In his wonderful The Lost Supreme , Peter Benjaminson tells it masterfully, with all the drama and empathy her life deserves. In Benjaminson's talented hands, Flo Ballard earns the lasting stardom she was deprived of in life." --Gerald Posner, author, Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power "Get to know the real Flo, from the beginning to the end. A must read." --Otis Williams, the Temptations "Peter Benjaminson has done a stellar job in capturing [Florence Ballard] and telling her story. Florence deserved a biographer with the skill and talent of Benjaminson. If this book were a record, it would top the charts." --Al Abrams, publicity director, Motown Records, 1964-1966 "Provides details Ballard wouldn't or couldn't discuss." -- Onion

"Flo Ballard's remarkable story is a personal Greek tragedy. In his wonderful The Lost Supreme , Peter Benjaminson tells it masterfully, with all the drama and empathy her life deserves. In Benjaminson's talented hands, Flo Ballard earns the lasting stardom she was deprived of in life." --Gerald Posner, author, Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power "Get to know the real Flo, from the beginning to the end. A must read." --Otis Williams, the Temptations "Peter Benjaminson has done a stellar job in capturing [Florence Ballard] and telling her story. Florence deserved a biographer with the skill and talent of Benjaminson. If this book were a record, it would top the charts." --Al Abrams, publicity director, Motown Records, 1964-1966 "Provides details Ballard wouldn't or couldn't discuss." -- Onion

Motown Records launched the careers of many black recording artists. One of the most beloved groups was the Supremes, with Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard. Contrary to popular belief, Ballard was the founder of the group; however, at the time of her death, she was unemployed, broke, and on welfare, never able to recover her career after being fired from the group. Her constant battles with Motown owner Berry Gordy, Ross, and her lawyers caused financial and emotional ruin. Although there are many available books on the Supremes, this one concentrates on Ballard's life before, during, and after her rise to fame; former reporter Benjaminson (The Story of Motown) gathered information from Ballard herself shortly before she died. His style is concise, coherent, and engaging. Readers who are familiar with the group and even those who are not will definitely enjoy this well-written biography. [The character of Effie White, played by Jennifer Hudson in the popular film adaptation of Dreamgirls, is based on Florence Ballard.-Ed.]-Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.