Motown supremo Berry Gordy told them they needed a better name, and they came up with The Supremes on the spot, an indication of their wit and ambition. At the time, Ballard was considered the best singer, but Ross was the most strikingly beautiful, and the one who caught Gordy's eyes.

His determination, and that of his team, helped to fulfil the Supremes' potential to the max, with the four singles following “Where Did Our Love Go” all claiming the top of the pop charts of trade magazines Billboard and Cash Box, the era's most important indicators of sales and popularity.

Mary, Scherrie & Susaye (1976) is the twenty-ninth and final studio album by The Supremes, featuring their last single to hit the US Hot 100, "You're My Driving Wheel"; plus the singles "Let Yourself Go" and "Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good", which all reached number five on the US Dance Club Songs chart.

On July 1, the day after her 24th birthday, Ballard showed up inebriated during the group's third performance at the Flamingo and her stomach bulged under her suit. Angered, Gordy ordered her to return to Detroit, and Birdsong officially replaced her, abruptly ending her tenure with the Supremes.