Jean Terrell

How Can You Live Without Love

Jean Terrell - I Had To Fall In Love (A&M SP 4676) 1978

Don't Stop Reaching For The Top; No One Like My Baby; Rising Cost Of Love; Change Up; How Can You Live Without Love; I Had To Fall In Love; That's The Way Love Grows; You've Been So Good To Me; No Limit.

Produced by: Bobby Martin

How Can You Like Without Love is a 'Gray & Hanks' (Len Ron Hanks & Zene Gray) song that I mentioned in my Gray & Hanks Blogg. They also recorded this song as you'll now know. Other 2step contenders here are No Limit & Rising Cost Of Love also by our writing heroes.

Jean Terrell was born November 26, 1944, she is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight boxing champion, Ernie Terrell, who famously fought Muhammad Ali.

Moving to Chicago at an early age, she was guided by her family to sing, and in late 60's she and her brother formed a group called Ernie Terrell and the Heavyweights. It was while singing in Miami, Florida Motown president Berry Gordy discovered the 24 year old singer performing with her brother at a club in Miami Beach.

Gordy first signed Terrell to Motown as a solo artist, but then decided to drop her into The Supremes as Diana Ross's replacement.Terrell was made an official member after Ross's farewell tour with the group in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970. Terrell took lead in the group's first 70s hits Up the Ladder to the Roof, Stoned Love, River Deep Mountain High (with The Four Tops), Nathan Jones, and Floy Joy, quite a run of good tunes.

Between 1970 and 1973, Terrell served as the official lead singer of the group until contractual disputes led to her exit from the group. Signing a contract with A&M Records, Terrell had finished a solo recording, I Had To Fall in Love, in 1978 but due to her Jehovah's Witness beliefs disagreeing with promoting the recording in a specific way the record label wanted, she semi-retired.

In the early 1980s Terrell put together a one woman show and did limited touring throughout the United States. Terrell went on to form the Former Ladies of the Supremes (FLOS for short) with Payne and Laurence in 1986; she left FLOS to pursue business interests and was replaced by Laurence's sister, Sundray Tucker aka Cindy Scott. Terrell has since released a biographical DVD of her life and has continued to sing onstage with jazz musicians. FLOS did an interview for PCRL in the early 90's.