When The Supremes came to an end in the late ‘70s, original member Mary Wells wasn’t quite ready to stop, so she kept on going bringing on new singers and hitting the road. Kaaren Ragland was one of the singers who joined the group and toured the world singing the bands hit songs.
Today Kaaren continues bring the bands live experience to audiences by performing as The Sounds of Supremes. OUTinPerth spoke to Kaaren ahead of the groups Perth shows.
Every drag queen has probably performed a tune by The Supremes at some point, it’s like a staple for drag performers, how do you feel about that?
I think it’s wonderful! [laughs] We love the gay community, they’re some of our biggest fans and we’ve played many a big club in Europe, let me tell you. I think it’s wonderful, it’s because it’s great music.
It really is, what do you think it is about The Supremes’ music that makes it still so relevant and popular today?
Truly, there were some wonderful writers at Motown. They wrote great tunes, they wrote great lyrics, they wrote very universal songs, they’re all about love. I think that’s why they really have become standards.
It’s really interesting because I came onboard in 1977 and one of the first places we came to was Australia in 1978. Mushroom Records brought us over and we played all kinds of places including a lot of gay clubs. We’ve been coming back ever since. This group started as a spin off in 1989 and we’ve just kept coming back. The music is a staple, it’s stood the test of time, but that’s because of great writing.
Do you have a favourite country to perform in?
That’s so hard to say, for me I love Australia, because Australians are a lot like Americans. People are very independent and if they like something they’ll just get up and dance and enjoy it and sing along. We encourage all of that. There have been many shows where people have dressed up!
In the past it was a little different in some countries. I remember going to Japan, when I was still working with Mary [Wells], and we played a show where everyone was really quiet and we wondered if people were enjoying it and thought, “Do they like it?” Then at the end they would erupt in applause, but the way they expressed themselves was very different. However now when we go to Japan, the kids jump up singing immediately and join in singing. It’s a whole different world.
Catch The Sounds of The Supremes when they tour Australia in July. Find out more at www.soundsofthe supremes.com
Ryan Boldison
