Thursday, January 7, 2016

Facebook Post

If you don't remember the 1970s, this will give you a taste of what it was like. I'm coming to think that perhaps Diana Ross was the most important entertainer of the 20th century. She wasn't the most successful, but she did very very well. What she did that was so important was that she bridged the gap between all around entertainers that could sing and dance and do both comedy and drama, and do all of it well..... and the stars that came later who did one thing very well. First, she ruled as the Lady Supreme, which ended the girl group era on a high note with her crowning achievements there. The accolades concerning The Supremes are only comparable to those of The Beatles, and clearly they were not white men. We're talking about a time in American history when some people could only drink out of certain water fountains, sit at the back of buses and walk through service entrances rather than the front door. Secondly, she became a Disco Diva- and one of the best. This hilarious clip falls in between her first and second incarnations. After this clip, Diana Ross took her place among the top three of all disco divas. And none of them had any successes comparable to what she had already accomplished. And she was not done. For a third iconic transformation, she became a 1980s ballad/anthem songstress and was one of the best of those as well. She toured with Pavarotti, for heaven's sake, despite the clear genre difference. She could do everything asked of her, except fail to sparkle, just like the stars of yesterday- Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby.... and yet she holds her own competitively when compared to greats of the subsequent decades like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Madonna and Mariah Carey. You could also compare her career to those of Elvis, Barbra Streisand or Liza Minnelli. You may have a favorite who is not on this list, but the stats are undeniable. Compare her career to anyone's. And she is still performing and sounding better now than she did in 1968, NOW, in 2016 at the age of 71.

No comments:

Post a Comment