The Supremes receive Randolph well. In April 1967, Gordy then contacted Cindy Birdsong, a member of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles who superficially resembled Ballard, with plans to bring her in as Ballard's replacement. He made his plans clear to Ballard and her group mates at a mid-April meeting, and Birdsong was brought in to begin rehearsals. Gordy did not fire Ballard outright at that time, asking Ballard instead to quit on her own. Birdsong first appeared with the Supremes in Ballard's place at a benefit concert at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 1967. Following the performance, Gordy quickly learned
Frog and the Birdsong home at sundown, another blackbird starts singing a beautiful song, "as it always does," indicating that life goes on. Velthuijs first published "Frog and the Birdsong" in 1991 with Leopold, a Dutch publisher of children's books. It won the 1992 "Gouden Griffel", one of the most significant Dutch prizes for children's books, and was a runner-up for the companion award for illustrations, the "Gouden Penseel". By 2003, it was in its fourteenth printing. The book was digitized by the Digital Library for Dutch Literature and is available online. It is translated into English and published by Andersen Press. Children often