Diana Ross: by J. Randy Taraborelli
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Book Reviews of Diana Ross:
Book Review: A Hit, Not A Miss
Summary: 5 Stars
Diana Ross has been a favorite of mine since I first heard her sing on the radio in 1964. I saw the Supremes perform dozens of times, and Diana Ross Solo another dozen, most recently in April 2007 in Atlantic City. I had the pleasure of having dinner with the Supremes at the home of their road manager in Cherry Hill, NJ during their first Latin Casino run.
I've read every book written about Diana Ross and the Supremes, and there have been a lot of them. I always felt that they ranged from the banal to the biased-against to the blindly-loyal (for example, the recent A Lifetime To Get Here: Diana Ross: The American Dreamgirl was written by an author with intensely Ross-colored glasses, and Diana's own "autobiographical" Secrets of a Sparrow was simply insipid). The only book of the crop that I thought painted an interesting, complex, full portrait of the diva I love was Call Her Miss Ross, written by J. Randy Taraborrelli in 1989.
Now, 18 years later, I can add a second book to the positive list: Diana Ross: A Biography, also by Taraborrelli. Rather than simply tacking on additional chapters covering the last 18 years, Taraborrelli has rethought and restructured the overall work. When Call Her Miss Ross was published, it had been 25 years since the first Supremes hit; the new Diana Ross: A Biography arrives 43 years after that hit, so the history (like me) has become a bit more ancient and can be viewed a bit differently.
What is good about the new book? No Diana book has been better researched (see the nine pages of acknowledgements). Taraborrelli had access to every key player in the Motown, Supremes, and Diana Ross saga. He writes quite well, so it is a pleasure to work through the 526 pages (I bought the version published in the UK at the beginning of the year; there it is called Diana Ross: An Unauthorized Biography). The photos are of top quality (not like some books where the photos look like Xerox copies). But most importantly, the book paints a rich, deep, thorough portrait of an amazing woman. She comes off as someone it would be interesting to know.
The story is fascinating--the impact of Diana Ross and the Supremes is huge, on music, Broadway, film. This book takes us closer to "reality" than anything else.
As Taraborrelli says in his introduction, the name "Diana Ross" prompts a strong reaction from almost anyone who sees it. I'm surprised that his books prompt such anger. Diana Ross: A Biography is a captivating and enthralling story of an amazing woman.
Book Review: A Terrific Biography
Summary: 5 Stars
This must be the ultimate Diana Ross biography. The author of this book seems to know the legendary singer all too well. In fact, if you look at his credentials, I think you'll be quite impressed: Mr. Taraborrelli begin following her career when he was just barely a teenager; he wrote countless of articles on her for various publications; he's interviewed dozens of her closest friends and family members throughout the years, including Diana Ross herself; he wrote two previous books on her, and, as proven with this book; he's an exceptionally talented writer.
What's great about this biography - as in the case with virtually all biographies - is that you learn more than just about the "biographee." You learn about other people, places, and events. In this case, you learn about The Supremes, Motown Records, Berry Gordy, the sixties, the music industry, the movie industry, and much more. So to some degree, this biography is really a history book with an emphasis on entertainment, and where Diana Ross is the main subject. This is the sort of book that once you start reading, you can't put it down. And even though I'm not a huge fan of Diana Ross or Motown Records, I found this book captivating, fascinated by her life story.
I think readers will be pleased with Taraborrelli's in depth look at Diana Ross' life: her personal life and relationships; her music career and other business ventures; and her family and children. Yet, even though the author admits to be a great fan of Diana Ross, this book doesn't seem to reflect that. The author holds nothing back. In fact, he gives us a very sincere portrayal of Diana Ross, and not a manufactured one. He tells us about her good side and bad side, her failures and successes, her good times and bad times. Some authors may be tempted to be a little bit biased, but not Taraborrelli in this case.
My one and only disappointment is that there is no mention of Michael Jackson's song "Dirty Diana." Was it really a song about Diana Ross? I was hoping he would set the record straight and maybe even get Diana's own reaction to the song, but that didn't happen. Maybe he's got something written about that in his Michael Jackson biography, which I'm eager to read. But besides that, I found this book excellent all the way through. If you're even remotely interested in Motown Records, The Supremes, and of course, Diana Ross, I think you'll truly enjoy this book. As for me, I look forward to reading more books from this author.
Book Review: Another one for the Queen of Diva
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm glad JRT chose to do this third installment on Diana Ross. It is another contribution towards her legacy. For me, Diana Ross is the First Lady of Diva. She's also the First Lady of Motown, so she deserves the attention.
I was daunted by this tome on Diana Ross and wondered what did JRT add? A lot has happened since Call Her Miss Ross. It pleased me to find this bio tightly written. It's almost as if the author is saying, I've been down this road before, but all pertinent information and facts remain, if you haven't. Front and center is her career. The focus is on her music and how it came to be, beginning with Berry Gordy who wasn't quite sure if Diana could really sing. Her voice was so different, so distinct. But once he's sure, the Supremes are made and dare I say it, so is Motown. There are more details in this book. The love affair between Ross and Gordy is more defined, I felt his passion for her and for her career. I felt his control over her. I understood why she needed to detach from the group and finally, why she had to sever her ties from Motown.
JRT excels at fitting it all together. You still get the inside look at the Supremes as the original group, the infighting, gossip and scandals. I was always intrigued with Diana's first marriage to Bob Siberstein; what happened on the set of Mahogany? Why she was not enamored with Billy Holiday's voice? What was the real deal with the Return To Love tour ? All of my burning questions have been answered. The thorough discograhy is a bonus to this book. Kudos, JRT, for making sure it was added.
The best thing about this book is that Miss Ross has reflected upon her career and is very happy with it. As an artist, she's always been classy, always been professional about her music. She made a life for herself outside of
her career by adding a family that she is proud of.
Book Review: "This Is It!"
Summary: 5 Stars
If your looking for a book that details the life and career of one of the greatest superstars of all-time, look no further than "Diana Ross: A Biography". J. Randy Taraborrelli does a remarkable job detailing who Diana Ross really is, how she wanted desperately to get out of Detroit, her hunger for music stardom, her tumultuous relationships with the men in her life, her career as a Supreme, her descent into a remarkable solo career, her downfall as a recording artist when she couldn't get played anymore on the radio, and more. If anyone says writing a tell-all book on a star is easy, especially a career that is as long and diverse as Diana's, they are making an understatement. Randy performed hours of extensive interviews with those who knew Diana from the beginning, from former employees to record executives. Here on these pages is everything you wanted to know about Diana, from her record and concert sales, to her life as a wonderful mother and daughter. A lot of what you see in "Diana Ross: A Biography" has already been written in Randy's former book "Call Her Miss Ross", but that book is out-of-print. Here, "Call Her Miss Ross" has been updated to detail Diana's life since 1989 including the loss of her brother in a shooting in Detroit, to her return to Motown. Yes there are parts of the book that fans will cringe when reading how difficult Diana can be, but that makes the book special: Randy doesn't sugarcoat who Diana is. We see, for the first time, the many shades of gray that make Miss Ross the icon and diva she has become.
Diana Ross published her memoirs in the late 1990's called "Secrets of a Sparrow", but that book was not well-received by the critics or the public who stated that Diana didn't bare the absolute truth of her life. Here in "Diana Ross: A Biography" that truth has been unearthed.
Book Review: Stellar Bio! Stunning Star!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, there has been so much written about Miss Ross (most of which I have read) including this authors previous efforts. I couldn't put this one down, it is very well written and easily read. Although I have previously read much of what has been written on Diana Ross and have been an avid fan since she began her career, there was still some information in this piece with which I wasn't familiar. It saddens me that the one group whom I and millions of others so adored experienced such conflict within their ranks. RT clearly doesn't put the blame on any one "Supreme" for the turmoil that was evident through most of their time together. Towards the end of the Bio, even Scherrie Payne, a singer with the group after Diana left, and one of the singers that Diana invited to join the Diana Ross and The Supremes 2000 Return to Love Tour, voiced how she hopes that someday Diana, Mary and Cindy can look beyond their differences and once again give the fans an opportunity to see one of the premiere groups in the history of music. I for one would pay far more than the $250.00 asking price for that ticket. Whether or not you are a Diana Ross or a Supreme fan treat yourself to a well written biography about one hell of a stunning star! I was fortunate to have seen her numerous times over the years, including her performace at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles in 2004 and I already have my tickets for her show at the Gibson Universal Theatre in November of this year. At the risk of sounding cliche' Diana Ross ia a survivor and I know deep down that there is more to come! A great read! Highly, highly recommended.