The Primettes

The Primettes had dreams of recording for Motown Records, the famous company founded by Berry Gordy Jr. Before they had the chance to audition for Motown, they had released a record on a small label called Lupine. The songs they recorded for Lupine were “Tears of Sorrow” and “Pretty Baby.” The songs were recorded in 1959 and were supposed to be released that year. Unfortunately, financial problems caused the record label to fold and the songs remained unreleased for many years.

In 1960, the girls continued to perform frequently, often at weekend sock hops or festivals. Their manager, Milton Jenkins, began to focus on other groups and eventually stopped working for the Primettes altogether. This didn't stop the energetic young women. They had spent weeks rehearsing four-part harmonies and dance moves, and they had spent hours creating dresses from scratch. They weren't about to let the loss of a manager stop them now. The Primettes had enough of a reputation that the girls were able to book performances on their own. When they could, they appeared at events at one of the high schools or at parties. They kept focusing on new music, too.

Flo briefly dated a young man named Jesse Greer, who was a member of another singing group, the Peppermints. Though Jesse and Flo broke up, they remained friends, and he helped the girls rehearse new material. He taught them to perform harmonies like some of the successful men's groups of the time, such as the Mills Brothers.