In early 1967, the name of the Supremes was changed briefly to "The Supremes with Diana Ross" before changing officially to "Diana Ross & the Supremes" by mid-summer. The Supremes' name change fueled already present rumors of a solo career for Ross and contributed to the professional and personal dismantling of the group. In fact, Gordy intended to replace Ross with
Barbara Randolph as early as the fall of 1966, but changed his mind and instead kept Ross in the group for several more years. On June 29, 1967, the group returned to the
Flamingo Hotel in
Las Vegas as "Diana Ross & the Supremes".
Reflections, released in 1968, it was the first regular studio LP to display the new billing of the group as "Diana Ross & the Supremes." By 1969, the label began plans for a Diana Ross solo career. That same year,
Johnny Bristol was preparing a new version of "
Someday We'll Be Together", to be recorded by Motown act
Jr. Walker & the All-Stars. Before finishing the track, Berry Gordy heard the music arrangements and thought the song would be a perfect first solo single for Ross, who was making her long-expected exit from the Supremes at the time. But when Gordy heard the completed song, he decided to release it as the final Diana Ross & the Supremes song although neither Mary Wilson nor Cindy Birdsong (the Supremes at that time) sang on the record. "Someday We'll Be Together" was included on the final Diana Ross & the Supremes album,
Cream of the Crop (1969). The song was a United States number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Motown released two more albums by The Supremes featuring Ross,
G.I.T. on Broadway and
Greatest Hits Vol. 3, before the release of
Farewell. Ross gave her final performance with the group on January 14, 1970, at the
Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. A live recording of the performance was released later that year in a double-LP box set titled
Farewell. At the final performance, the replacement for Diana Ross,
Jean Terrell, was introduced. Ross's first solo single, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", released in early 1970. Its follow-up, a cover of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", peaked at number one on the Hot 100 becoming a million seller. Ross earned a Grammy Award nomination for the recording. Ross had previously recorded a cover of the song for the joint LP,
Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations, released by The Supremes and
The Temptations in 1968. Ross shared lead vocal duties on the song with
Dennis Edwards. ==Album cover==