Ross’ artistry creates lasting musical legacy

When Diana Ross takes the stage Friday at Blaisdell Arena, most of her fans will be there for one thing: the experience of hearing Ross perform their favorite hits, live in concert.

Some will also be there for the fashion and glamour — Ross changed gowns several times when she played the Blaisdell for the first time ever in 2015, and each one was a showstopper — but for most the evening will be about the songs they’ve loved for decades and the memories and dreams those songs bring with them.

For some admirers it’s the hits she recorded as a member of the Supremes with Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, and then with Cindy Birdsong and Wilson, in the 1960s. For others it’s the hits from the first years of a solo career as a Motown star.

Still others will be waiting for a song or two from her final years with Motown, maybe “Endless Love,” the duet with Lionel Richie that became her all-time biggest single hit in 1981.

In the half-century since her first hit with the Supremes, with 18 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — 12 as a member of the Supremes, six as a solo artist — and worldwide record sales of more than 100 million, Ross, 73 has made an indelible mark on pop culture, and many fans know her story by heart:

Born in Detroit, she was known as Diane throughout her childhood and aspired to be a fashion designer. Invited by a school friend to join a girl group that the friend’s friend was putting together, Ross became a member of the Primettes, who soon changed their name to the Supremes and were signed by Motown.

After several years as the “no-hit Supremes,” the girls had their first hit — and then so many more hits that they became the top-selling group of female vocalists in the history of the record business. Motown label owner Berry Gordy designated Ross as the Supremes’ lead singer, and with Gordy’s backing as a guide and mentor, she embarked on a solo career.

In 1970 Ross became a singular sensation as a recording artist and then followed that success as a critically acclaimed movie star in “Lady Sings the Blues,” for which she was nominated for best actress at the 1973 Academy Awards.

The story of Diana Ross and the Supremes is thought to have inspired the 1981 Broadway smash “Dreamgirls,” although the lead character in “Dreamgirls,” Effie White, followed a career trajectory closer to that of Supremes founding member Florence Ballard than Diana Ross.

The story of Ross’ personal relationship with Gordy was one of the plotlines in “Motown: The Musical,” a jukebox musical about the history of the label which opened on Broadway in 2013.

With all of the interest in her life, however, what the fans love most is the music, and Ross didn’t disappoint when she played two nights in the Blaisdell in 2015. Expectations are again high as she appears on Oahu this year.

WE ASKED five Hawaii singers who admire Ross to tell us about the songs she interpreted that stand out for them, and why.

>> Pop, soul and jazz vocalist Ginai said, “‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ (1970) is a favorite of mine because it speaks to how far I’ll go to be there for someone, especially if I love them! I use those very lines from time to time. … ‘If you need me … call me … no matter where you are … no matter how far … just call my name … I’ll be there in a hurry… on that you can depend and never worry.’ Words to love by!”

>> Singer Shari Lynn, known for her own bold interpretations of pop classics, said, “Diana Ross was outstanding as a singer and actor in two shows. … The first was ‘The Wiz’ (1978), and my favorite song from that was the big ballad ‘Home.’ The second was when she starred as Billie Holiday in ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ (1972). She was brilliant, and any of the songs could be on the No. 1 hit list, but two stand out for to me: ‘God Bless the Child’ and ‘T’aint Nobody’s Business if I Do.’”

>> ChristineMendoza, a vocalist with the Honolulu pop group Aura, said, “I have so many memories of Diana Ross. You never get tired of her music or her songs. The Supremes were a classy female group with the vocals, the harmony, their outfits and the choreography, but her voice stood out and she was so elegant on stage. If I had to pick one song from her hits with the Supremes, it would be “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965), but picking from her work as a solo artist, it would be ‘Touch Me in the Morning’ (1973) because it touched my soul at the time. I think all her songs some way, somehow, have touched someone, but that’s the one that touched me. It’s wonderful to know she is still performing.”

>> Hip-hop/R&B vocalist Maryanne Ito said, “I’ve always loved her rendition of “The Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)’ (1976). Her voice and tone are soothing enough to listen to for hours. The song lyrics really caught my attention as they were relatable to me at one point in my life. Overall, her vocal delivery and the music that accompanies her makes this tune so timeless. I also remember watching Diana Ross on the telly and wanting to be as graceful and elegant as she. I’ve always admired how she’d glide gracefully across the stage as she wore these beautiful gowns — and of course, the hair. The hair is iconic.”

>> Young singer Gina Aufaga, a member of La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls’ class of ’18, said, “‘Endless Love’ sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (1981). Although the lyrics are an important part of the song, I like their voices in the duet and how their harmony blends beautifully. She hasn’t been the main inspiration to my singing, but I admire her voice very much and one day hope to have the (vocal) control she had.”

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10 FAVORITE DIANA ROSS SONGS

I was hooked by Diana Ross’ voice the first time I heard the Supremes, with “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” on the radio in the fall of 1963.

That was more than 50 years ago, and so there are many Diana Ross songs that have made an impression. Most of the songs on this list are songs Ross recorded as the lead voice of the Supremes.

They’re listed in chronological order, along with their highest ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

1. “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” (1963, No. 23)

The Supremes’ first Top 40 hit — and the first written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (aka Holland-Dozier-Holland). The story they describe resonated back in 1963: She acted cold and told him to “be on his way,” but he was bold and didn’t take no for an answer, “and when he placed a kiss upon my face, then I knew that he won my heart.”

2. “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964, No. 1)

The first of 12 Supremes singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 told an all-too-familiar story: “Before you won my heart, you were a perfect guy, but now that you got me, you want to leave me behind.” The recording was notable back in 1964 for a stereo mix that made it sound like “footsteps” were moving from one end of the stereo to the other.

3. “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965, No. 1)

An instantly recognizable instrumental introduction, a hard-driving arrangement and a timeless story of true love and a cheating man made this one irresistible. But what kind of fool would ever cheat on someone who sounded as sweet as Diana Ross?

4. “Back in My Arms Again” (1965, No. 1)

This powerful celebration of love fulfilled was one of the few Supremes hits that did not have Ross singing about heartbreak and loneliness. Here she sings triumphantly about disregarding her friends’ advice — the friends including her fellow Supremes, Mary (“who lost her love so true”) and Flo (“the boy she loves is a Romeo”) — and getting the boy she loves back where she wants him. The arrangement is one of the most intense of the Supremes hits, but it is the joy in Ross’ voice that takes the song over the top.

5. “Forever Came Today” (1968, No. 28)

Holland-Dozier-Holland’s last effort for the Supremes barely made it into the Top 30, but the lyrics will always speak for romantics who dream that their “forever” will finally arrive. “When you walked into my life and made my lonely life a paradise, it came today; forever came today.” Dare we hope?

6. “No Matter What Sign You Are” (1969, No. 31)

Songwriters Berry Gordy Jr. and Henry Cosby challenged the “What’s your sign” ethos of the Age of Aquarius with Ross singing defiantly, “The beat of the heart, my love, is stronger than the chart, my love.” Don’t you love the way she squeals in response as the backing vocalists are singing the signs of the zodiac?

7. “Someday We’ll Be Together” (1969, No. 1)

Who knew when this song was released late in 1969 that it was a remake of a song by another act that hadn’t charted eight years before? For that matter, who knew that Berry Gordy had intended for the new recording to be released as Ross’ first single as a solo artist? But who cares? Ross delivered an irresistible message of regret and longing, and the studio engineer’s accidental recording of producer Johnny Bristol’s ad-libs gave the song another set of ear-catching hooks.

8. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1970, No. 1)

Ross’ first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single as a solo artist is an imaginative rearrangement of the song that had been a joyful Top 20 hit for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967. Ross turned it into a song of loss, separation, loneliness — and the hope that someday the time of separation would end. With the lengthy narrative passages, and a choir and orchestra behind her, it was high drama on record even when cut extensively for play on Top 40 radio.

9. “Touch Me in the Morning” (1973, No. 1)

Ross’ third No. 1 single as a solo artist was a tear-jerker, beautifully sung. The multiple vocal tracks at the end of the song were something unusual in the summer of ’73.

From the ominous opening notes to the glorious finish-and fade, Ross’ fourth No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single as a solo artist remains a timeless celebration of a perfect “morning after” with that someone so special. “If there’s a cure for this, I don’t want it.”

10. “Love Hangover” (1976, No. 1): From the ominous opening notes to the glorious finish-and-fade, Ross’ fourth No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single as a solo artist remains a timeless celebration of a perfect “morning after” with that someone so special. “If there’s a cure for this, I don’t want it.”