Cindy Birdsong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cindy Birdsong
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Birdsong in 1967
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| Born |
Cynthia Ann Birdsong
December 15, 1939 Mount Holly, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Years active | 1960–1979 1987–2011 |
| Spouse(s) |
Charles Hewlett
(m. 1970; div. 1975) |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Hi-Hat Records |
Cynthia Ann Birdsong (born December 15, 1939) is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Birdsong was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey on December 15, 1939, to parents Lloyd Birdsong, Sr. and Annie Birdsong. After living in Philadelphia for a duration of her childhood, the family returned to New Jersey, settling in Camden. Birdsong set her sights on becoming a nurse and attending college in Pennsylvania. When Cindy returned to Philadelphia she was contacted by a longtime friend, Patsy Holt, in 1960 to replace Sundray Tucker in Holt's singing group The Ordettes. At twenty years of age, Birdsong was the oldest member of the group with the remainder of the group still in their mid-teens.
Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles
By 1962, the group had two new members, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx, the latter two girls had sung for another vocal group which was defunct at the time. In the same year, they auditioned for local record label owner Harold Robinson. Robinson agreed to work with the group after hearing LaBelle sing the song "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman".
Shortly after Robinson signed them, he had them record as the Blue Belles and they were selected to promote the recording of "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", which had been recorded by the Starlets. It was recorded as a Bluebelles single due to label conflict. The Starlets' manager sued Harold Robinson after the Blue Belles were seen performing a lip-synching version of the song on American Bandstand. After settling out of court, Robinson altered the group's name to "Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles". Initially, a Billboard ad cited the group as "Patti Bell and the Blue Bells". In 1963, the group scored their first hit single with the ballad "Down the Aisle". Later in the year, they recorded their rendition of the "You'll Never Walk Alone"; the single was later re-released on Cameo-Parkway Records where the group scored a second hit on the pop charts with the song in 1964. Another charted single, "Danny Boy", was released that same year. In 1965, after Cameo-Parkway folded, the group signed with Atlantic Records where they recorded twelve singles for the label, including the mildly charted singles "All or Nothing" and "Take Me for a Little While". The group's Atlantic tenure included their rendition of "Over the Rainbow" and a version of the song "Groovy Kind of Love".
Diana Ross & The Supremes (1967–1970)
For her first two and a half years as a Supreme, listeners did not hear Birdsong's voice on most of The Supremes' newest singles. Except for featured backgrounds on several collaborations with The Temptations, live album tracks, and some studio LP tracks, Birdsong and fellow member Mary Wilson did not sing backing vocals on the group's later singles. Session singers The Andantes substituted for Mary and Cindy on many, although not on all, cuts in subsequent Diana Ross & The Supremes albums. Both the Let the Sunshine In album and the Cream of the Crop album include tracks on which Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong sing back-up, often in tandem with the Andantes. However, Cindy can be heard doing a brief solo during "Let the Sunshine In" on their Farewell performance.
Post Diana Ross: The "new" Supremes (1970–1972; 1973–1976)
In 1970, Jean Terrell replaced Diana Ross as lead singer of the Supremes. In the new group, both Mary and Cindy's voices were heard more prominently, including the three albums the group recorded with the Four Tops. The same year, Birdsong married Charles Hewlett. Birdsong continued to perform with the Supremes when she became pregnant with her son, David, Birdsong officially leaving The Supremes in April 1972, after completing the Floy Joy album's recording sessions.
Her replacement, Lynda Laurence, who is Sundray Tucker's sister, had already joined Mary Wilson and Jean Terrell onstage and on the Floy Joy album cover, as Birdsong's pregnancy became visible. After a brief hiatus, Birdsong returned to The Supremes in November 1973, replacing a pregnant Laurence and remaining with The Supremes until she retired in February 1976, frustrated with her dealings with Mary Wilson's then-husband Pedro Ferrer, who was serving as the group's manager; coincidentally, a few days before Birdsong's official departure, Florence Ballard died of cardiac arrest at the age of 32 while experiencing a financial and personal recovery. During that period, Birdsong contributed to two albums: The Supremes (1975) and High Energy (1976). During this timeframe, Cindy recorded lead vocals on a version of "High Energy", however her version could not be found until the alternate take with her vocals surfaced on a 1970s Supremes CD compilation years later. Although Birdsong is vocally present on the entire High Energy album, her replacement Susaye Greene, whose voice is only heard on the title song as well as "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking", appears on the album cover.
Later career
In June 1977, Wilson performed a "farewell" concert with The Supremes (by then Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene) and thereafter embarked on a solo career. Later that fall, Wilson was forced to play several Supremes dates, most notably in South America, that Payne and Greene would not fulfill on such short notice. Rather than risk lawsuits, Wilson recruited Birdsong and Debbie Sharpe as her backups, performing under "Mary Wilson of the Supremes".
After leaving the Supremes, Birdsong worked at UCLA Medical Center under her married name of Cindy Hewlett, and then went to work for Suzanne de Passe at Motown Records. In 1983, Birdsong joined former Supremes Mary Wilson and Diana Ross in a one-off reunion on the Motown 25 anniversary television special. In 1986, she was a member of the Former Ladies of the Supremes along with Terrell and Payne but left to pursue a solo career in music. Once again, she was replaced by Laurence in the group. She briefly recorded for the small Hi–Hat Records with a single "Dancing Room".
In 1999, she reunited with The Bluebelles, who changed their name to Labelle after Birdsong's departure, for the first time in thirty-two years as the group accepted an R&B Foundation Award for Lifetime Achievement, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" together. In 2004, Birdsong joined Mary Wilson and Kelly Rowland (of Destiny's Child) to perform a medley of Supreme hits for the Motown 45 anniversary television special.
Personal life
Birdsong married Charles Hewlett in August 1970 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. In attendance were then singing partners Jean Terrell and Mary Wilson. This was Birdsong's first marriage and Hewlett's second marriage. Birdsong filed for divorce in March 1975, citing "irreconcilable differences". The couple have one son, Charles, known as David.
In June 2023, The New York Times printed a full length article on Birdsong's health and financial status. Her family revealed that she suffered several debilitating strokes, and expressed frustration with Birdsong's longtime caretaker and roommate Rochelle Lander who they said was preventing family support. However, in 2021, Birdsong was removed from her apartment by Los Angeles police and was put in a skilled nursing facility. A judge awarded the family conservatorship in October 2023.
In April 2024, the New York Times printed a follow-up article, chronicling Birdsong's continued challenges. Her son Charles, known as David, filed a lawsuit against Brad Herman who had been credited for "rescuing" Cindy from her financial and medical woes.
Kidnapping
In December 1969, Birdsong was kidnapped while returning to her Los Angeles apartment with then–boyfriend Hewlett and their friend, Howard Meek. The intruder forced Birdsong to tie up the two, then forced her downstairs into her car at knifepoint. Birdsong managed to unlock the car door while Collier was driving and jumped out of the vehicle onto the Long Beach Freeway to safety. She was 'hospitalised with cuts, bruises and knife wounds.' Days later, Charles Collier, a maintenance man at Birdsong's apartment, surrendered himself in to Las Vegas police. In April the following year Collier was sentenced to five years to life in the (California) State Prison. Collier claimed he 'did not know why' he kidnapped Birdsong.
Discography
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells
Albums
- 1963: Sweethearts of the Apollo
- 1963: Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells & Bluebells
- 1965: On Stage
- 1966: Over the Rainbow
- 1967: Dreamer
Singles
- 1962: "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" (#15 U.S., #13 R&B)
- 1962: "I Found a New Love"
- 1962: "Tear After Tear"
- 1963: "Cool Water"
- 1963: "Decatur Street"
- 1963: "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)" (#37 U.S., #14 R&B)
- 1964: "You'll Never Walk Alone"(#34 U.S., #32 R&B)
- 1964: "One Phone Call (Will Do)"
- 1964: "Danny Boy" (#76 U.S.)
- 1965: "All or Nothing" (#68 U.S.)
- 1966: "Over the Rainbow"
- 1966: "Ebb Tide"
- 1966: "I'm Still Waiting" (#36 R&B)
- 1966: "Take Me for a Little While" (#89 U.S., #36 R&B)
- 1967: "Always Something There to Remind Me"
- 1967: "Dreamer"
- 1967: "Oh My Love"
Diana Ross & The Supremes
Albums
- 1968: Reflections
- 1968: Live at London's Talk of the Town
- 1968: Diana Ross & The Supremes Sing and Perform "Funny Girl"
- 1968: Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations (w/ The Temptations)
- 1968: Love Child
- 1968: TCB (w/ The Temptations)
- 1969: Let the Sunshine In
- 1969: Together (w/ The Temptations)
- 1969: Cream of the Crop
- 1969: G.I.T. on Broadway (w/ The Temptations)
- 1970: Farewell
Singles
(All singles with The Temptations)
- 1968: "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (#2 U.S., #2 R&B, #2 U.K.)
- 1969: "I'll Try Something New" (#25 U.S., #8 R&B)
- 1969: "The Weight" (#46 U.S., #33 R&B)
- 1969: "I Second That Emotion" (#18 U.K.)
- 1970: "Why (Must We Fall in Love)" (#31 U.K.)
The Supremes
Albums
- 1970: Right On
- 1970: The Magnificent 7 (w/ The Four Tops)
- 1970: New Ways but Love Stays
- 1971: The Return of the Magnificent Seven (w/ the Four Tops)
- 1971: Touch
- 1971: Dynamite (w/ The Four Tops)
- 1972: Floy Joy
- 1975: The Supremes
- 1976: High Energy
Singles
- 1970: "Up the Ladder to the Roof" (#10 U.S., #28 AC, #5 R&B, #6 U.K.)
- 1970: "Everybody's Got the Right to Love" (#21 U.S., #29 AC, #11 R&B)
- 1970: "River Deep – Mountain High" (w/ The Four Tops) (#14 U.S., #7 R&B, #11 U.K.)
- 1971: "Nathan Jones" (#16 U.S., #29 AC, #8 R&B, #5 U.K.)
- 1971: "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart" (w/ The Four Tops) (#55 U.S., #41 R&B, #25 U.K.)
- 1971: "Touch" (#71 U.S.)
- 1971: "Floy Joy" (#16 U.S., #33 AC, #5 R&B, #9 U.K.)
- 1972: "Automatically Sunshine" (#37 U.S., #17 AC, #21 R&B, #10 U.K.)
- 1972: "Without the One You Love" (w/ The Four Tops)
- 1972: "Your Wonderful, Sweet Sweet Love" (#59 U.S., #22 R&B)
- 1975: "He's My Man" (#69 R&B)
- 1975: "Where Do I Go from Here" (#93 R&B)
- 1975: "Early Morning Love"
- 1976: "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking" (#40 U.S., #3 Dance, #25 R&B)
- 1976: "High Energy" (#9 Dance)
Solo
Singles
- 1987: "Dancing Room"
