‘CALL HER MISS ROSS’ BY J. RANDY TARABORELLI

In 1982 a friend and I had the chance to catch Diana Ross in action as she toured the world with her live concert. Mind you, this was way before I came out of the closet. I had no idea she was a gay icon. I just loved her. My favorite album of hers was and still is 1981 To Love Again which has all of her classic love songs. So you can imagine how ecstatic we were seeing her that summer evening. I still get goose bumps just thinking about it. The night was so magical. She sang, she danced, she cracked jokes. She even went as far as mingling with the audience. We were seated too far to ever think she would come our way but it scarcely mattered, so much in awe we were just being there. I may have moved on to other singers as college beckoned but in my eyes no one had never come close to being a true superstar as Diana Ross was back in those days.

But there's an ugly side to her as well. We’ve come to know that by now. She's made enough front-page news to cover the bottom of many birdcages. Yet, J. Randy Taraborrelli was the first to really expose her bad behavior. His 1988 CALL HER MISS ROSS (Kensington Publishing) is a no holds barred account of the diva in action, from her humble beginnings in Detroit, Michigan to her sold out performances all over the world. This hit girl sure made a lot of people tremble in their boots, including her Supreme sister Mary Wilson who at the time kept quiet to keep peace. Taraborrelli spares no details in making sure his unauthorized biography is worth every penny: jealousy, backstabbing, business deals gone wrong... Ross' desperate need to control everything and everyone fits her over-the-top ego to a T while filling this bio with enough juicy details to keep any enquiring mind very, very happy.

I used to buy everything this lady put on records as a solo artist, even during her RCA days when she left Motown to make it on her own. Though some of her stuff during that time is still listenable (mostly ballads), I, like many of you, much prefer the Motown years. The Theme from Mahogany, It’s My Turn, Love Hangover, The Boss, Endless Love... So many hits and J. Randy Taraborelli goes through them all (including those of The Supremes) with a fine-tooth comb. You’ll have a ball discovering how they came to be and which ones reached the top of the charts and how long they stayed there. Indeed, CALL HER MISS ROSS is mostly an encyclopedia of knowledge despite its fun and dishy front.

Fortunately, the book is still available but going under the name DIANA ROSS: A BIOGRAPHY (Citadel, 2014). The author has rewritten, expanded and updated it with more interviews and more insightful viewpoints (which to me were my favorite parts to begin with). In other words, CALL HER MISS ROSS got a makeover. Personally, I liked it just the way it was but I admit that this new version should still be quite interesting. I will definitely check it out—as you should, especially if you’re a Ross fan.

Until next post—Martin 

Digital version