Today in Music History: The Supremes appear on TV with Diana Ross for the last time

Motown soul pop group Diana Ross and the Supremes, left to right, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Cindy Birdsong, 1968.Keystone | Getty Images 1968

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December 21, 2016

History Highlight:

Today in 1969, The Supremes made their last TV appearance together with Diana Ross on The Ed Sullivan show, singing their last No. 1 "Someday We'll Be Together". Ross left to pursue a solo career in 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell, and The Supremes disbanded in 1977 after 18 years. The Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Also, in:

1985 - Lionel Richie started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Say You, Say Me".

1985 - Bruce Springsteen's album Born in the USA passed Michael Jackson's Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP on the Billboard U.S. Top 10.

1992 - American blues singer and guitarist Albert King died from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee.

2003 - Michael Andrews feat. Gary Jules went to No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with their version of the Tears For Fears song "Mad World". The song took just 90 minutes to record in 2001 and was featured in the film Donnie Darko.

2003 - American Idol winner Ruben Studdard was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Soulful.

2010 - A concert by Kings of Leon was postponed after a fire broke out on two of their tour buses in London.

2012 - Paul Simon performed "The Sound of Silence" at the funeral of a teacher who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Connecticut.

2012 - "Gangnam Style" by South Korean musician Psy became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. By the end of 2012, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries.

2014 - Elton John and his partner David Furnish formally converted their civil partnership to a marriage, hosting a ceremony at their Windsor estate in Berkshire.

Birthdays:

Frank Zappa was born today in 1940.

Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys was born today in 1946.

Emmett Jefferson "Murph" Murphy, drummer for Dinosaur Jr. and The Lemonheads, is 52.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.