The Supremes were a very successful Motown all-female singing group active … Read Full Bio ↴The Supremes were a very successful Motown all-female singing group active from 1959 until 1977, performing at various times doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway showtunes, psychedelia, and disco. One of Motown's signature acts, The Supremes were the most successful African-American musical act of the 1960s, recording twelve #1 hits between 1964 and 1969, many of them written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The crossover success of the Supremes during the mid-1960s paved the way for future black soul and R&B acts to gain mainstream audiences both in the United States and overseas.

Founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public housing project in Detroit, were the sister act to The Primes (later The Temptations). In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes. Martin left at the end of 1961, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. After they achieved success in the mid-1960s with Ross as the lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left the group for a solo career in 1970, and was replaced by Jean Terrell. After 1972, the lineup of the Supremes changed frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in 1977.

Rock And Roll Banjo Band
The Supremes Lyrics

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He's a groovy swinging guy
With the rock and roll banjo band

I got a sweet little guy
Who lives down the street
But nobody knows his name
Everybody was sad and feeling so bad
But that was before he came

Now everybody in the neighborhood
Seems to walk with a steady beat
By the rhythm of the guy
With the rock and roll banjo band

The way he plays that thing
It makes my poor heart ring
I'm gonna marry that guy someday

If you want to know why I love him so
Then you ought to come and hear him play
From the dawn to the sunset
He keeps a-strumming on his banjo strings

He's the groovy swinging guy
With the rock and roll banjo band

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The way he plays that thing
It makes my poor heart ring
I'm gonna marry that guy someday

If you want to know why I love him so
Then you ought to come and hear him play
From the dawn to the sunset
He keeps a-strumming on his banjo strings

He's the groovy swinging guy
With the rock and roll banjo band

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
He's the groovy swinging guy

With the rock and roll banjo band
He's the groovy swinging guy

Overall Meaning

"Rock and Roll Banjo Band" by The Supremes is a playful and upbeat song about a talented and mysterious musician who plays a banjo in a unique rock and roll style. The singer of the song, who lives down the street from the musician, is enamored by his music and plans to marry him someday. The artist's playing is so captivating that it inspires everyone in the neighborhood to walk with a steady beat. The song is a tribute to the power of music to unite people and lift the spirits of the community.

Line by Line Meaning

He's a groovy swinging guy
He is a cool and lively personality.

With the rock and roll banjo band
He is a part of a band that combines rock and roll music with the sound of the banjo.

I got a sweet little guy
There is a charming person living near me.

Who lives down the street
This person lives in close proximity to the singer.

But nobody knows his name
Despite his close proximity, nobody knows his identity.

Everybody was sad and feeling so bad
The community was previously unhappy.

But that was before he came
But his arrival changed things for the better.

Now everybody in the neighborhood
Currently, the community members

Seems to walk with a steady beat
Appear to move rhythmically.

By the rhythm of the guy
Inspired by the rhythm of the previously unknown person.

The way he plays that thing
The way he plays the banjo.