During this period, Ballard also stood in for Wanda Young of the Marvelettes, who was out on maternity leave. Following news that Baun was facing multiple embezzlement charges, Ballard fired him. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Thomas L. Tommy Chapman I found on Findagrave.com. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Florence Glenda Ballard, Birth Year: 1943, Birth date: June 30, 1943, Birth State: Michigan, Birth City: Detroit, Birth Country: United States. Ballard married a Motown chauffeur named Thomas Chapman in February 1968 and quickly hired him as her new manager after her departure from the label. How did Spencer lure seasoned movie industry professionals into her web? Thomas Chapman (m. 1968 1976) Children: Michelle Chapman, Nicole Chapman, Lisa Chapman. I assured her that in my unbiased opinion, with her in the directors chair, the movie would be a high-quality monster hit. In early 1975, Ballard received a settlement from her former attorney's insurance company. I reluctantly accepted this reassurance, sort of. [28], The group struggled in their early years with the label,[29] releasing eight singles that failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100, giving them the nickname "no-hit Supremes". Nichole Ballard-Jones claims after her mother Florence Ballard funeral she and her twin Michelle Denise were separated the same of her funeral and afterwards. She was never on welfare at the time of the interview with her sisters Michelle and Lisa Ballard Chapman and she knew nothing about the interview because she didn't see it and no one in the family informed her nor was she on social media and that's the reason why she wants to clean up the media and the stories and is coming out or has come out on what really took place. She took the money and told her Aunt Helen Scott and her mother Florence Ballard first cousin Marlene Scott about her $16,000 stash cash and her aunt Helen Scott took her to the bank and opened her a trust fund bank account for minors in her name and Helen Scott as custodian and Marlene Scott at Manufacturer Bank in Detroit which years later became Comerica Bank. (Faith Evans did not return my phone call seeking her comments on the project.). A system error has occurred. Nichole Ballard aka Variety Chenevert became the original creator of the blockbuster films Set It Off and Booty Call which were her class assignments at UCLA Extension in 1994. Nichole " Rosalyn" Elaine Ballard-Jones re-invented herself and gave herself a new name in 1992 and renamed herself as Variety Chenevert before she even left Detroit to pursue a film career in Hollywood. Nichole said she was raised on Pinehurst St in Detroit while Michelle and her younger sister Lisa went to go live in another home with their grandmother. The family members shifted to Detroit before she changed ten to make use of the city's flourishing job marketplace. In an e-mail to me, Coolidge wrote, I am no longer directing this movie. Ballard's husband and manager, Tommy Chapman, drove to radio stations and record stores with boxes of Ballard's records, leaving copies along the way, to little avail. While hopeful about Spencers effort, I tried to remember that the same fate that had befallen the previous two attempts to bring my book to the screen would likely befall her project. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Evans, too, posed for a photo in which she held a hard-cover copy of the and smiled for the camera. Her representative back then was Takashi Bufford. Weve updated the security on the site. Because her first film made over $40 million dollars. Apparently shocked by these sentences, Spencerasked the judge to give her two weeks prior to her own sentencing to tidy up her affairs. Together they had Yvonne Monique Jones and Eboni Jones. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. The Primettes with Diana Ross, Aunt Barbara on left, My mom Florence Ballard Right and Mary Wilson Center. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. All Rights reserved. Flo Ballard's brother the late Percy who was at her funeral with her daughter's Nichole Rene and Michelle Denise Ballard who was in the newspaper in the place of the their father Lawrence Jones aka Tommy Chapman who died six months before Florence Ballard. [1] Ballard's death was considered by one critic as "one of rock's greatest tragedies". It is not a secret that Mary Wilson and Diana Ross both became successful with their solo ever careers. Diana Ross worried they would be mistaken for a male vocal group, but Gordy agreed to sign them under that name on January 15, 1961. I was merely a mid-level investigator and writer-on-the-make entangled unknowingly in a scheme masterminded by a pro. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Her films made over $80 million dollars worldwide in two years once she entered film school in 1994 at UCLA Extension a year later after she left Detroit in 1993. The children were very much vocal about Diana Ross helping them. For the past few years on social media there has been some controversy on Nicole Renee Ballard who is the daughter of Florence Ballard in Detroit. What was even more saddening is the fact that Florence Ballad daughters were left alone, and they were three. Supposedly, every girl is expected to receive $10,000. Oops, we were unable to send the email. She sang as a teenager, entering the same 1958 talent show as her future groupmate Mary. The Chronicle also published a picture of Michelle and Nicole Chapman, two of Ballards daughters, posing with my book. This made everything harder. Ballard's first concert performance in more than five years took place at the Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium in Detroit on June 25, 1975. She had a third child, Lisa, in 1971. Who's the REAL daughter of Florence Ballard from the Supremes? Try again later. . This account has been disabled. She said she wasn't informed of their hardship and had she been she would have helped her sisters out and any other relatives or family that may have needed it. Faith Evans took some time out from promoting her latest album to visit Detroit today and meet with the daughters of Florence Ballard -- whom she'll be portraying in an upcoming biopic. Discrepancies of their birthdays Nicole Ballard born October 18, 1968 and Nichole Rene Ballard-Jones born December 17, 1967 both are supposed to be the twin of Michelle Ballard Chapman. Back then when Nichole and Michelle were the same size and height as twins at age 7. I immediately dropped my objections. After an album for the label was shelved, her settlement money was depleted from the Chapmans' management agency, Talent Management, Inc. But what Variety Chenevert aka Nichole Ballard found hard to believe is how did Michelle Denise Ballard Chapman outgrow her supposedly twin Nicole Renee Chapman Ballard in height by six inches? Singer Florence Ballard became famous in the 1960s as a member of The Supremes, a group which she started with childhood friends Mary Wilson and Diana Ross. She also said she has been residing in California since 1993 two years prior the first homeless newscast of her sisters 1995 E! Over the next several years, the relationship between Ballard and Gordy became more and more strained, as the all-powerful Motown boss sought to make Ross the star of The Supremes. GREAT NEWS! She sang on 16 different Top 40 hits. Ballard was the founding member of the popular Motown vocal female group the Supremes. Deborah Jones is the widow of Lawrence Jones aka Tommy Chapman. - IMDb Mini Biography By: When Martin also quit the group, Ballard, Wilson and Ross decided it would remain a trio.). Drag images here or select from your computer for Thomas L. Tommy Chapman memorial. During live shows, Ballard often performed the Barbra Streisand standard, "People". I have no explanation Spencersoon calmed my fears by telling me that Todd Turner, whod been assistant director onRemember the Titans, among other films,had been hired as Coolidges replacement. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. This was really far from the original Motown headquarters. Jenevieve's 'Midnight Charm' Is a Breezy R&B Delight. They had a younger sister in the name of Lisa. Parents Thomas Chapman Florence Ballard Relatives Nicole Chapman (sibling) Lisa Chapman (sibling) Lurlee Wilson (grandparent) Jesse Ballard Sr (grandparent) Maxine Ballard (aunt or uncle) Jesse Ballard Jr (aunt or uncle) Bertie Ballard (niece or nephew) Gilbert Ballard (aunt or uncle) Geraldine Ballard (aunt or uncle) Barbara Ballard (aunt or uncle) Billy Ballard (aunt or uncle) Calvin Ballard . In the summer of 1960, a 17-year-old Ballard endured a tragic incident that would permanently shape her personality and shift her previously happy outlook on life to a mistrust and fear of strangers. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Matthew Patay , Other Works Dreamgirls, a 1981 Broadway musical, chronicles a fictional group called "The Dreams", and a number of plot components parallel events in the Supremes' career. Despite the many inaccuracies, Maxine believes Florence would have. They were unable to do that, however, and their efforts came to no fruition. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Nichole Ballard-Jones aka VARIETY Chenevert she never saw her sisters that often or continued living with them after their mother passing. The Federal marshals who re-arrested Spencerreturned her to Houston, where she was sentenced to four years and three months in the federal penitentiary, a term she is now serving. This did not happen, sad to say. With three young girls at home and no income, she eventually had to file for welfare. Another woman in Georgia who knew about this became suspicious of Spencer, noticed her facial resemblance to a bank fraudster the Feds were looking for and alerted the appropriate authorities. Marlene Scott also dated Lawrence Jones as a common-law relationship and together had Nichelle Aurelia Jones "Boo Boo". Her attorney in the matter received a one-time payment of $139,804.94 in royalties and earnings from Motown. Ballard also faced financial troubles after hiring an alleged embezzler as her business attorney; she later sued him for money owed after discovering he had been skimming off the top of her earnings. She was born in Detroit, Michigan. I know what youre thinking. based on information from your browser. ). Eventually Ross became the lead singer and Ballard grew dissatisfied with the group's management, she began drinking and was fired in 1967 for missing recording sessions and performances. Variety Chenevert aka Nichole Rosalyn Elaine (Rene) Ballard said as far as the lost trust fund goes. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60409557/thomas-l-chapman. Pictures. Ballard entered Henry Ford Hospital for rehab treatment and slowly started to recover. As author Luc Sante wrote in his introduction to the 1999 edition of David Maurers seminal study on confidence men and their scams,The Big Con, The best con artists possess a combination of superior intelligence, broad general knowledge, acting ability, resourcefulness, physical vigor and improvisational skills that would have propelled them to the top of any profession. He could certainly have been describing Spencer on the rise. On welfare and on the beers, Florence Ballard died of coronary artery thrombosis in February 1976, 8 years to the day since signing her life as a Supreme away. In their eyes banks were for crooks. Questions have arisen about the cause of Ballard's death over the years, with her sister Maxine Ballard Jenkins alleging that there was foul play. Angered, Gordy ordered her to return to Detroit, and Birdsong officially replaced her, abruptly ending her tenure with the Supremes. Variety Chenevert aka Nichole Ballard said she has vivid recollection of her childhood and those were the Good Ole Days. There was only a marker. Spencerhad been applying for bank loans in the names of other people by conning personal information out of her marks, mixing her own contact information with the stolen info and then paying bank insiders to make sure the loans, which officially went to her victims, actually went to her. At home, Maxine Ballard said Florence's marriage to former Motown chaffeur Thomas Chapman was a constant battle, as well. The film version of Dreamgirls released in 2006 features more overt references to Ballard's life and the Supremes' story, including gowns and album covers that are direct copies of Supremes originals. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. It was amazing that McCoy/Spencer, who had obviously changed her name to avoid instant detection, made the stupid mistake of allowing her photograph to be taken, printed and broadcast in the course of publicizing her movie project. 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