Right On (album)

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Right On

Studio album by The Supremes
Released	April 26, 1970
Recorded	Summer 1969 - April 1970
Genre	Soul
Length	37:27
Label	Motown MS 705
Producer(s)	Frank Wilson
All Music Guide link
The Supremes chronology
Farewell (1970)	Right On (1970)	The Magnificent 7 (with Four Tops) (1970)

Right On is a 1970 album recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label, the first Supremes album not to feature former lead singer Diana Ross. The decision to excise Ross from the Supremes and establish her as a solo act had been made as early as 1968, and showcases such as the TCB television special and appearances on The Hollywood Palace were focused upon establishing Ross as a performer in her own right by downplaying the interaction between Ross and the other Supremes. Ross' replacement, Jean Terrell, began recording Right On with Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong in mid-1969, while Wilson and Birdsong were still touring with Ross.

Frank Wilson, a former protege of Motown producer Norman Whitfield, produced Right On, working to establish the "New Supremes" (as Motown began marketing the new Terrell-led lineup) as a group unique from the Ross-led Supremes. Right On features two Top 40 singles, "Up the Ladder to the Roof" and "Everybody's Got the Right to Love". Other notable tracks include "Bill, When Are You Coming Back", an anti-Vietnam song, and "The Loving Country", written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Smokey Robinson. A critical and commercial success, Right On reached number 25 on the BIllboard pop albums chart, a peak twenty-one positions higher than the final Diana Ross-led album, Farewell.

"Right On" proved that there could be life after Diana Ross for the Supremes, and holds up years later as a cohesive, vibrant album chock full of great songs and spirited performances. Indeed, it is stronger than many of the Ross-led albums of the late 60's and fittingly moved the group into a new decade. Terrell sang all the leads on "Right On" and instantly established herself as a dynamic soloist, yet she was a team player and an ally of Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson. The result was that the "New" Supremes once again felt like a team effort -- a real trio of complimentary voices willing to share the accompanying media spotlight.