Shame on you Oxford, or should we say Oxford University press, for its entry on Diana Ross.
You think you might want to mention that she has a Tony that she earned in 1977? You think you might want to mention that the Guinness Book of World Records named her the most successful female music artist of all time in 1993?
You think you might put these in her biography entry? Or no?
Listen to this.
Page 6 45 and 646
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross born in 1944
Film and television performer. The Classy African American singer-actress, who first became famous as a pop singer, has dipped into the musical with mixed results. Ross was born in Detroit and started singing with a gospel group at her church before she found Fame as the lead singer of the pop group The Supremes. After the trio disbanded, roasting soloist success in pursuit of film career, making a smashing debut as legendary blues singer Billie Holiday in the musical bio lady sings the blues 1972. She was less impressive as a grown up Dorothy in The ill-fated musical The Wiz 1978. Ross has made some non-musical films and has appeared on television in TV movies and variety specials. The popular musical Dreamgirls 1981 is Loosely based on Ross and The Supremes. Autobiographies going back, with Roseanne shelnutt 2004, upside down wrong turns, right turns in the road ahead 1997, biography, Diana Ross, Jay Randall taraborelli 2007.
I'm not quite incensed, but I'm not happy. What about the sparrow autobiography?
Everybody knows the Supremes did not disband! Everybody knows that.
There were Supremes hits credited to the group on which only Diana sang. Her first solo single, someday we'll be together, was released as The Supremes hit. Diana will always be intertwined with the Supremes, but she outshone their success twice over.
She's basically had three careers, and although it can be said that she only dabbled in the American Musical, why say all that other stuff if you're not going to give her her due regards?
Her first incarnation was lead singer of a girl group, maybe the most important girl group of all time.
Her second Incarnation was as a disco Queen. None of the Supremes success gives an inkling into what she would accomplish by herself in that genre. It's truly a second career. And arguably more successful than her first.
Her third incarnation was as a ballad and timeless songstress. The woman toured with Pavarotti For Heaven's Sake. So in her third incarnation the firmly still within the pop genre as her other two were, cemented her into a status Beyond pop.
Oxford scmoxford.
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