The 100 best musicians of all time: Diana Ross – Essay by Antonio “La” Reid
I have been looking for a new Diana Ross for almost 30 years – ultimately my whole career – and I’m afraid I have a longer search in front of me. She was adorable, she was slim and had this wonderful hair. And above all: she had glamor. Everything about her – the look, the aura, her behavior – signaled the star.
The supremes were the epitome of the Motown sound. It is said that Diana was just lucky because all these wonderful songs were written on her body. Of course, Holland-Dozier-Holland were gifted songwriters. And as we all know, the secret heroes were the Funk Brothers, Motown’s houseband. They took these great songs and gave them the tonal face: “Where did our love go”, “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, “Stop! In the name of Love ”,“ I Hear a Symphony ”. At that time, many people thought that they were assembly line products, but now we all know that they were small masterpieces. Even the intros were unique and had their individual hooks, which you could no longer get out of your head. And of course there were two other singers, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, whose contribution should not be underestimated.
But at the end of the day it was Diana’s voice where I got goose bumps. She didn’t sang like Aretha Franklin, but was the great stylist who put her stamp on a song. If you “where your love go?” Asked, the despair believed to hear in her voice.
To this day, I believe that it would still fit into the current music landscape. She paved the way for the Janet Jacksons and Madonnas of the world. I still ask singers in the studio to sing a song “How to sing Diana Ross”. To date, none has managed.