Ain’t no mountain high enough: 5 times Diana Ross was a total boss
Icon will meet icon this weekend when Diana Ross plays two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Set for Friday and Saturday evenings, the two-night stand marks the singer’s second visit to the hillside institution in only three years. (“Still show-stopping” is how my colleague Ernest Hardy described her at a sold-out 2013 gig.) But impressive bookings are just the latest reminder that Ross is — and pretty much always has been — a boss. Here are five more.
1. Decades before established rappers began co-signing up-and-coming talent — think Lil Wayne with Drake, or Kanye West with Desiigner — Ross lent her valuable imprimatur to the Jackson 5, whose 1969 Motown debut was officially titled “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5.” Pop historians disagree on Ross’ actual role in the group’s discovery, but that seems beside the point: As one of music’s biggest stars, her name provided reason enough for listeners (and television watchers) to check out the young siblings from Gary, Ind.
2. The Jackson 5 power play was, of course, the opening move in Ross’ highly orchestrated transition from being a member of the Supremes to leading a solo career. And as her own woman, she didn’t wait long to start racking up hits — even when they’d just been hits for other people, as in the case of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which hit No. 1 in 1970, a mere three years after Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell introduced the song. What’s more, Ross peppered her version with sleepy spoken-word bits that made her sound as if she’d woken up like this.
3. Ross made an even bolder claim on someone else’s work in 1972 when she played Billie Holiday in director Sidney J. Furie’s controversial Holiday biopic, “Lady Sings the Blues.” Many voiced skepticism about a pop star’s ability to muster the gravitas of a jazz singer (in particular Holiday, often regarded as jazz’s finest). And Ross’ move clearly set the stage for some dubious stunt casting to come: Madonna as Evita, anyone? Yet “Lady Sings the Blues” met with huge success, as did its double-album soundtrack, on which Ross made herself at home in the Great American Songbook.
4. Despite her impact on pop, Ross has never won a proper Grammy Award (though the Recording Academy did give her a lifetime-achievement prize in 2012). But few artists are as welcome a sight at an awards show as Ross, who famously jiggled part of Lil Kim’s exposed anatomy at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1999 and who used her appearance at the 2014 American Music Awards to give the royal “we” a royal workout.
5. In 2013, Ross’ representative offered me an interview with the singer before that year’s Bowl concert. But this wasn’t to be an in-person sit-down or even a phone conversation: I was invited to submit questions, which Ross (who lives in L.A.) would answer in an audio recording. I passed.
A few weeks ago, the rep repeated his proposal — only now the interview would take place over Skype. Am I interested in what this legend might have to say in any setting? Duh. But the usefulness of a new Ross profile at this point seems directly connected to a writer’s ability to describe the experience of being in her presence. So I passed once more. And look what happened! Instead of writing a feature, I made this list as a way to urge you to go see her this weekend.
The boss wins again.
Twitter: @mikaelwood
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