Was Florence Ballard a soprano or a mezzo soprano?

Answer 1

Florence was a Soprano. However, she could sing low too and on many of her leads she sings in her chest voice in the Contralto/Mezzo-Soprano range. Leads on songs like "Buttered Popcorn" and "Ain't That Good News" recorded while she was a Supreme are good examples of her more soulful sound. Most recordings that feature her on backing have her singing the soprano (high) part. One of her lowest notes can be found on her cover of "Yesterday" from her shelved solo album from 1968 that was released in 2001 as The Supreme Florence Ballard.

Leads such as People (recorded with The Supremes on there album There's A Place For Us), Silent Night and Oh Holy Night show off her more operatic-sounding Soprano voice and range. Also, Long Gone Lover (led by Diana Ross from the group's Where Did Our Love Go album) features Flo ad-libbing at the end in her upper range.

Here's a short list of some songs on which Flo sings backing as a soprano:

(all recordings as part of The Supremes)

- Let Me Go The Right Way - featured on Meet The Supremes

- Can't Buy Me Love - featured on A Bit of Liverpool

- Let Me Hear You Say (I Love You) - featured on Where Did Our Love Go: 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition

- My Imagination - featured on Where Did Our Love Go: 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition

- Your Kiss of Fire - featured on Where Did Our Love Go

- Make Someone Happy - featured on The Supremes At The Copa

- Who Could Ever Doubt My Love - featured on More Hits by The Supremes