Berry gordy autobiography of miss

No matter the odds or what some people said, Diana persevered and made her dreams come true. And while her life has had its ups and downs just like the rest of us , she never stopped trying. Her journey is something we all could learn from. And this book will show you the way. By the end, you'll not only appreciate Diana's music, but how she got where she is.

And you'll believe that you can make your dreams come true. In a friend and I had the chance to catch Diana Ross in action as she The writing quality is sometimes pedestrian and he easily weaves back and forth from biography to hagiography. From critiqueing to cheerleading. With those caveats I will say that I loved this book. Its a book that probably only those of a certain generation will.

Those like me who grew up to a Motown soundtrack. And its queen D. Anytime a book can describe a song and the events that surrounded it and then have me singing those long forgotten lyrics in the shower the next day is a powerful book. Love or hate D. Ross her place in history is undeniable. And what a life it is. If you like me start reading the book with generally negative feelings about her you are likely to be a tad more sympathetic by the end.

Kym Moore. Author 3 books 36 followers. What an expose into the life and career of Diana Ross. Nice read. David Canford. Author 14 books 39 followers. OK I'm biased. In my opinion Diana Ross has sung some of the greatest songs of all time and had a truly unique and wonderful voice. Demonised for pursuing a solo career - why, because she was a woman?

Men who leave groups to do so don't get that kind of backlash. The Supremes would never have been the phenomenon they were without her. She also played a huge part in racial integration with her cross over success but that is rarely mentioned. The book gives a lot of interesting information, particularly about the early years, and is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in her.

I would have enjoyed to hear more about her music and the author never really answers the question of who she really is, though perhaps none, other than her family, will ever know that. Neil Mudde. What was I thinking when seeing the book in the library, some profound disection of Ms. Ross, an in depth look into her life, well after many chapters of trashing Ms Ross, it seems, she was destined to be a "Diva" and no one in this world was going to stop her not even "in the name of love" Did not realize she had several children, not that it mattered, I believe, according to Taraborelli she chose her life,determined that any focus would be on her, and I believe it has its own rewards, by no one wanting to be around you.

Miguel Shaw. This updated bio from Randy Taraborrelli isn't bad. In fact I would venture to say it's good. I've had my negative feelings for Taraborrelli over the years, especially after reading Call Her Miss Ross when it was first published. At that time part of me felt like a protective fan ready to be Ross's bodyguard against people trying to cash in on her life; the other part was happy to have something to balance out Mary Wilson's scathing and one-sided view points in her memoirs: Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme.

Even after I realized that Mary basically published her diaries that she kept since she was 17, it still felt like cherry picked indictments against my favorite singer Ross. Even a man on Pluto could see how that chapter would end. I also liked that he included Diana's lending money to Mary when she needed it, and the fact they were friends up until Mary's memoirs, even after the Motown 25 mess.

Despite Mary's shenanigans about Ross, it's clear to any observer that she admired her childhood best friend, and even borrowed some of her best qualities when she Mary fought to keep the Supremes going in the 70's, fought Motown for the rights to own the Supremes name, and fought for her own survival in a very tough business. In hindsight, if Diana and Mary had spoken and maybe spent some time together not much lol , but some, the Supremes segment of Motown 25, Mary's memoirs, and Diana's Return to Love tour would have all turned out differently.

In the latter, Mary's scathing memoirs would have included some friendship talk with Ross and a more balanced view of the past and present, and the Return to Love Tour wouldn't have been a Ross and replacements show, or even a Ross and all 6 other living members of the Supremes which was actually a concept at one point. It would have been Diana, Mary, and Cindy in a tour de force concert, celebrating both the Supremes 40th anniversary, and Diana's 30th anniversary as a solo act.

Till this day, some fans still talk about what could have been. Many of whom would have seen Diana, Mary, and Cindy perform live for the first time. I personally saw the RTL tour in Philly and bought 2 top dollar tickets for myself and my mother and we loved every minute of it, but before that show started practically all the fans in my row of pristine seats were lamenting about not seeing Mary and Cindy.

Randy's probably the best biographer I've read of Ross. That's a hard task for anyone, because I've always seen Diana as an extremely private, pragmatic, and perhaps a little too inflexible person when it comes to telling her story.

Berry gordy autobiography of miss

I knew her memoirs Secrets of a Sparrow would be a good read, most likely positive and inspirational, but I also knew it wouldn't be very candid. It's not in her DNA. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses.

Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape "Donate to the archive" User icon An illustration of a person's head and chest. Sign up Log in. He had a 4-octive that's right singing range and could make some amazing dance moves. Reportedly, when Presley was asked if Jackie was the black man's Elvis, he responded "No. If anything, I'm the white version of Jackie Wilson.

But it's not presented in a way that says "I'm important because I knew important people". Rather, I can't see how you'd talk about Berry's life without naming a pretty impressive list of friends and artists. He spends a lot of time talking about Diana Ross who I wore out record grooves listening to as a teenager and it's clear Diana broke Berry's heart.

I just have to say after reading this book that I'm in awe of what Berry Gordy accomplished. The book should be stocked in the "business" section of the book store, as it describes the sacrifices it takes to build a special business. I highly recommend this book, even if it's not a genre you'd normally tune in for. PS - I do think Berry could have done a better job talking about the "Funk Brothers" who were the musicians behind all the big Motown hits.

But the Funk Bros can claim more 1 hits. Neither of these musician groups received the recognition they were due. John Winston. Author 6 books followers. This is the first review I've written on Goodreads and let me preface it by saying Berry Gordy is my biggest hero of all-times, so it will be extremely biased. I know, I know. He was a crook and stole from every one of his artists That being said, I am in awe of what he accomplished at the time he accomplished it; when black music was relegated to being just that His machine created phenomenal music and his genius found a way to play and sell that music to the whole world.

In my humble opinion, Motown music is the best collection of contemporary music ever created. Berry Gordy accomplished the improbable with Motown and that is what this book was about, more or less, in his own words. As a musician, music lover and Detroiter I remain in awe of this underrated feat, so much so I read the book at least twice and own two copies of it.

I'm going to leave it at that and go on to make some objective reviews now. Taryn Rydell. Say what you want about Berry Gordy. He is a genius. He did things in the music industry that hadn't been done before or since. Motown is the greatest collection of contemporary music ever created. In To Be Loved, you get it from the horse's mouth.

Whether you believe what's written here or not, the words matter because somebody's got to tell history. Who better to tell it than the person who created it all. We believe the words prophets wrote in the Bible because men deemed them inspired by the almighty. I believed Berry Gordy was inspired by a higher power and from Smokey Robinson to the Jackson Five we are blessed to hear his story in his own word.

This is a must read for any fan of Motown music. Troy Legette. It was there in a lonely room reading words painting the perfect picture. A man following his dreams asking family members to help invest in it. Using your last savings to invest is amazing. I learned so much about some of the artist he helped have success in the music industry.

Dave Schwensen. Author 11 books 4 followers. I can see why this book would be the inspiration for the hit Broadway show, Motown. Detroit was already known as Motor City before Barry Gordy ever worked in a car plant and learned the factory system. After adapting this process to his record company, Detroit was known for being Motown. And even thought that opinion is only based on reports from past articles and other books, they are not at all addressed, confirmed or denied, in this book.

It is a story worth telling and knowing about. Some of the less famous characters, including the various mothers of his numerous children, become confusing as the story continues, but I enjoyed the book and again, consider it an important story. I had no problem putting it on the shelf and reading two other books before coming back to finish.

Fortunately, the legendary Motown stars, known to all music fans, always made it easy to pick up the story from where I had left off and follow through to the end. Gary Baughn. Although Berry is continually trying to correct the impression that he was a dictator of Motown Records, he probably was, and this is still a fun book to read, if you like that music, and want to hear about how it came to be.

I've been to Hitsville, and this should make you want to see that little bungalow that changed the world of music. What is most interesting is how he combined creativity and manufacturing, two ways of doing things that, like oil and water, supposedly are at odds with one another and cannot be combined. He did it. Sign up Log in. Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass.

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