Diana Ross in Aretha Franklin's Autobiography with David Ritz

Although it gets lots of bad reviews on Amazon Im currently reading,and enjoying Aretha's autobiography - "From These Roots" [[with David Ritz) chock-full of refrences to Diana -

Aretha tells of knowing who Diana was as a teenager in Detoit,thou they didnt speak Aretha says she admired her work ethic,even back then.. she makes the statement several times how hard Diana works for what she has.

The Diva claims The Supremes ripped off one of her looks on a tv special - a broad hat and bejeweled gowns..Im thinking she must mean the look the ladies wore on Tennessee Ernie Ford

Edwards and Rodgers played her the demos of "Upside Down " & "Im Comming Out" she turned down working with them because of questionable behaviour from them..she dosent go into detail what that was..Diana has said that "Upside Down" came from her telling the producers how she felt at the time..maybe Chic played Aretha an instrumental of the track with no lyrics ?

Gordy intvites Aretha to his mansion there she is stunned to discover Berry has two big portraits displayed on velvet -one of Diana and one of Aretha !

Aretha was keen to see How Diana did in "Lady Sings The Blues" and compliments her for nailing the role also mentioning her children loved "The Wiz"

One of Franklins sons was a huge Diana fan who as a teenager had pictures of her all over his bedroom walls..Aretha had to say something when he started to put pictures on his ceiling as well...

havent finished the book but thought I would share.

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Originally Posted by nomis

Although it gets lots of bad reviews on Amazon Im currently reading,and enjoying Aretha's autobiography - "From These Roots" [[with David Ritz) chock-full of refrences to Diana -

Aretha tells of knowing who Diana was as a teenager in Detoit,thou they didnt speak Aretha says she admired her work ethic,even back then.. she makes the statement several times how hard Diana works for what she has.

The Diva claims The Supremes ripped off one of her looks on a tv special - a broad hat and bejeweled gowns..Im thinking she must mean the look the ladies wore on Tennessee Ernie Ford

Edwards and Rodgers played her the demos of "Upside Down " & "Im Comming Out" she turned down working with them because of questionable behaviour from them..she dosent go into detail what that was..Diana has said that "Upside Down" came from her telling the producers how she felt at the time..maybe Chic played Aretha an instrumental of the track with no lyrics ?

Gordy intvites Aretha to his mansion there she is stunned to discover Berry has two big portraits displayed on velvet -one of Diana and one of Aretha !

Aretha was keen to see How Diana did in "Lady Sings The Blues" and compliments her for nailing the role also mentioning her children loved "The Wiz"

One of Franklins sons was a huge Diana fan who as a teenager had pictures of her all over his bedroom walls..Aretha had to say something when he started to put pictures on his ceiling as well...

havent finished the book but thought I would share.

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Aretha's book got mostly unfavorable reviews because she didn't really spill any tea. Knowing how private Aretha was, I didn't expect any real tea and enjoy the book for what it is.

Re the dress, Aretha was referring to the gowns the girls wore in the closing segment of TCB. She compared it to a sort of similar gown of hers which she wore when she sang FUNNY GIRL on the Oscars telecast as well as on her THIS GIRL'S IN LOVE WITH YOU album cover.

Re Aretha and UPSIDE DOWN, she has told that story a few times, similar to what happened with Natalie's THIS WILL BE. It could very well be that she heard an early track but both Diana and Nile have said that the lyrics were written about what was going on in Diana's life at the time.

In related Aretha/Diana news, in an interview with Babyface, Aretha mentioned that she was reading SECRETS OF A SPARROW and enjoyed reading about Diana as a mother.

Interesting to read both these posts

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Originally Posted by reese

Re the dress, Aretha was referring to the gowns the girls wore in the closing segment of TCB. She compared it to a sort of similar gown of hers which she wore when she sang FUNNY GIRL on the Oscars telecast.

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If that’s the gold butterfly gowns, those were created in the summer of ‘68 by Michael Travis. The girls really weren’t involved in the design of their gowns. Mr. Travis told me “Whatever I designed, they took.” Also the Oscars celebrating the films of 1968 was held April 12, 1969, so there’s no way they were ripping off her. The girls were trendsetters so I doubt they were looking to Aretha for fashion. If anything it was the other way around. In fact, there was a set of gowns that both the girls and Aretha had that were exactly the same but those were store bought.

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Originally Posted by bradsupremes

If that’s the gold butterfly gowns, those were created in the summer of ‘68 by Michael Travis. The girls really weren’t involved in the design of their gowns. Mr. Travis told me “Whatever I designed, they took.” Also the Oscars celebrating the films of 1968 was held April 12, 1969, so there’s no way they were ripping off her. The girls were trendsetters so I doubt they were looking to Aretha for fashion. If anything it was the other way around. In fact, there was a set of gowns that both the girls and Aretha had that were exactly the same but those were store bought.

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Aretha's book is full of timeline errors, as most biographies are. Her co-writer David Ritz said that she kept him from working on the final edit, which could account for some of them.

Shes not so kind to Gladys Knight,Cissy Houston & Natalie Cole in the book !

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Originally Posted by nomis

Shes not so kind to Gladys Knight,Cissy Houston & Natalie Cole in the book !

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I think it was in PEOPLE's review of the book that they said "Aretha hits some sharp notes. Take heed, Gladys Knight." LOL.

Aretha was pissed at Gladys and Cissy that they both put in their books the incorrect story that Aretha's mother abandoned her. She was also pissed that Gladys wrote that there were times that they were close but often their relationship would go into the deep-freeze and Aretha would ignore her.

But it seems as if things changed in the years after Aretha's book was published. When Natalie took ill, she and Aretha shared the same record company and Aretha said she would promote Natalie's cd as well as her own. After Natalie's death, Aretha performed INSEPARABLE often as a tribute. Cissy sang background on Aretha's last album as well as her last David Letterman appearance, amongst other shows.

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Originally Posted by reese

I think it was in PEOPLE's review of the book that they said "Aretha hits some sharp notes. Take heed, Gladys Knight." LOL.

Aretha was pissed at Gladys and Cissy that they both put in their books the incorrect story that Aretha's mother abandoned her. She was also pissed that Gladys wrote that there were times that they were close but often their relationship would go into the deep-freeze and Aretha would ignore her.

But it seems as if things changed in the years after Aretha's book was published. When Natalie took ill, she and Aretha shared the same record company and Aretha said she would promote Natalie's cd as well as her own. After Natalie's death, Aretha performed INSEPARABLE often as a tribute. Cissy sang background on Aretha's last album as well as her last David Letterman appearance, amongst other shows.

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Thanks for the updated info reese..always enjoy your posts..reading Luther Vandross's biography by Craig Seymour next..read it years ago and looking forward to it again

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Originally Posted by nomis

Thanks for the updated info reese..always enjoy your posts..reading Luther Vandross's biography by Craig Seymour next..read it years ago and looking forward to it again

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No problem. Your posts bring a lot of memories back to me.

It was actually at an Aretha concert that I found out that Natalie had passed. Aretha gave a concert at a local casino and when I arrived, I saw tv screens showing footage of Natalie. I couldn't see the text and asked the guy in front of me what was going on. He told me that she had died the night before. Near the end of Aretha's show, she played an instrumental of INSEPARABLE as a tribute.

I read that Luther book, too. But unlike most of my other books, I only read it once. So I don't remember too much about it. But Aretha and Luther had their issues as well.

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Originally Posted by reese

No problem. Your posts bring a lot of memories back to me.

It was actually at an Aretha concert that I found out that Natalie had passed. Aretha gave a concert at a local casino and when I arrived, I saw tv screens showing footage of Natalie. I couldn't see the text and asked the guy in front of me what was going on. He told me that she had died the night before. Near the end of Aretha's show, she played an instrumental of INSEPARABLE as a tribute.

I read that Luther book, too. But unlike most of my other books, I only read it once. So I don't remember too much about it. But Aretha and Luther had their issues as well.

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No matter what biographyor autobiography I read on someone in the entertainment industry usually,somehow, Diana and The Supremes are mentioned..I recently read Mark Bego's lacklustre book on Whitney..he takes a couple of sly digs at Diana..at one point calling her something like "the most egotistical diva of all.." i knew he was tight with Mary Wilson never the less I dont think hes much a writer !

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Originally Posted by nomis

No matter what biographyor autobiography I read on someone in the entertainment industry usually,somehow, Diana and The Supremes are mentioned..I recently read Mark Bego's lacklustre book on Whitney..he takes a couple of sly digs at Diana..at one point calling her something like "the most egotistical diva of all.." i knew he was tight with Mary Wilson never the less I dont think hes much a writer !

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I don't find Bego to be objective when it comes to Diana. In describing an Aretha/Diana conversation when they met at the Clinton pre-inauguration concert, he actually wrote that Diana is "legendary for not getting along with anyone," and that her track record as a friend is "nonsense."

How much does Aretha say aboput her sisters? Their rivalry is legendary. Any mention of Mary Wilson and her days in a group with Carolyn?

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Originally Posted by JimEMack

How much does Aretha say aboput her sisters? Their rivalry is legendary. Any mention of Mary Wilson and her days in a group with Carolyn?

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She wrote about her sisters quite a bit but she didn't delve into any rivalry, not that I expected her to. The most she went there was when she spoke about Erma being upset that Aretha started dating Dennis Edwards since Erma was interested in him first. She also mentioned not being pleased with some of Carolyn's comments in a documentary re the famiy being concerned about Aretha when their father was shot.

No mention of Mary and Carolyn. In DREAMGIRL, Mary wrote that she auditioned for Carolyn's group but failed because of another group member who didn't want her.

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Originally Posted by reese

I think it was in PEOPLE's review of the book that they said "Aretha hits some sharp notes. Take heed, Gladys Knight." LOL.

Aretha was pissed at Gladys and Cissy that they both put in their books the incorrect story that Aretha's mother abandoned her. She was also pissed that Gladys wrote that there were times that they were close but often their relationship would go into the deep-freeze and Aretha would ignore her.

But it seems as if things changed in the years after Aretha's book was published. When Natalie took ill, she and Aretha shared the same record company and Aretha said she would promote Natalie's cd as well as her own. After Natalie's death, Aretha performed INSEPARABLE often as a tribute. Cissy sang background on Aretha's last album as well as her last David Letterman appearance, amongst other shows.

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I also remember reading that Ree's issues with Gladys stemmed from the fact that Franklin provided Gladys and The Pips seats on her private plane to MLK Jr.'s funeral...and never got a proper gesture or word of thanks. *sigh*

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Originally Posted by JimEMack

How much does Aretha say aboput her sisters? Their rivalry is legendary. Any mention of Mary Wilson and her days in a group with Carolyn?

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apparently the subject is delved into in "Respect" -David Ritz's book after the Aretha collaboration.. it goes into the family dynamics in depth..i havent read it yet.

No one [[sane!) loves Aretha more than I. No one. But the lady has for decades been known to be reliable [[not so much), generous to her fellow singers [[not so much) and straight-forward and low-maintenance [[not so much). I've always been happy to read great things about Aretha's generosity, activism, but Aretha is pretty much the last person I would rely on for validation of, well, anything factual.

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Originally Posted by sansradio

I also remember reading that Ree's issues with Gladys stemmed from the fact that Franklin provided Gladys and The Pips seats on her private plane to MLK Jr.'s funeral...and never got a proper gesture or word of thanks. *sigh*

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I find it hard to believe that Gladys and the guys didn't say thanks to Aretha for the free ride. I wouldn't have even put that in print. But that's Aretha!

Aretha went on to say that she knew Gladys was frustrated from career disappointments and she [Aretha] was "truly sympathetic and will pray for her." I had to laugh out loud at that one.

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LMAO @ "Questionable Behavior."

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Originally Posted by JLoveLamar

LMAO @ "Questionable Behavior."

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I bow to Queen Ree always, but she had a rather odd relationship with the truth. She might say anything to get a headline and was fiercely competitive. She can, IMHO, do as she pleases with no fisheye from me - a perk when you are The Queen. Gladys, I’m told, is a shady, phony, petty diva totally consumed by the green-eyed monster. If I could have spent five minutes with Aretha, it would’ve been the five minutes when she was told that Gladys is calling herself the empress of soul! I still LOL @ that.

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Originally Posted by nomis

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Great pictures; I think these are all new to me.

Maybe one reason why Aretha didn't mind Diana Ross was that Ross never tried to directly compete with her and forged her own lane in the music business?

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Originally Posted by Spreadinglove21

Maybe one reason why Aretha didn't mind Diana Ross was that Ross never tried to directly compete with her and forged her own lane in the music business?

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Aretha had a great affinity to Motown's 60s roster - thru the book she talks warmly of The Temptations,Four Tops,Marvin & Stevie..she was very proud that the label came from Detroit..she mentions several times that Diana worked very hard to achieve all she did.

Honestly, I don't think Diana and Aretha had any issues with one another and were definitely not competitive with each other. As quiet as it it kept Aretha even spent time at Diana's mansion in Connecticut when she needed some downtime. I don't think they got to now each other until later in life though.

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Originally Posted by nomis

One of Franklins sons was a huge Diana fan who as a teenager had pictures of her all over his bedroom walls..Aretha had to say something when he started to put pictures on his ceiling as well...

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I read "From These Roots." I was always struck by this passage because she implied she thought her son's adoration of Diana Ross was over-the-top and added that she was relieved when he turned his affections to Chaka Khan. It suggested that she did not think Diana's talent was worthy of admiration. She complimented Diana for being a hard worker and a 'diva' but had nothing to say about Ross' talent. Felt like a backhand compliment and an indication of some envy.

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Originally Posted by Guy

I read "From These Roots." I was always struck by this passage because she implied she thought her son's adoration of Diana Ross was over-the-top and added that she was relieved when he turned his affections to Chaka Khan. It suggested that she did not think Diana's talent was worthy of admiration. She complimented Diana for being a hard worker and a 'diva' but had nothing to say about Ross' talent. Felt like a backhand compliment and an indication of some envy.

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who knows ? diva's are complex creatures..especially to each other !

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Originally Posted by Guy

I read "From These Roots." I was always struck by this passage because she implied she thought her son's adoration of Diana Ross was over-the-top and added that she was relieved when he turned his affections to Chaka Khan. It suggested that she did not think Diana's talent was worthy of admiration. She complimented Diana for being a hard worker and a 'diva' but had nothing to say about Ross' talent. Felt like a backhand compliment and an indication of some envy.

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Aretha has spoken about Diana's talent elsewhere. I took Aretha's Diana to Chaka comment as relief that her son stopped "obsessing" over Diana. She said he turned to Chaka, but she doesn't mention if his walls and his ceiling was being covered by Chaka photos or if his admiration of her reached the levels of obsession he may have had with Diana. Childhood obsessions can be extremely annoying to the family who has to be subjected to it. Any break is welcome.

I don't think Aretha's comment was anything more than that.