Diana Ross ANMHI Prom 45 sleeve

[jack020]

This was included in Billboard at the time the 45 came out

[reese]

I actually "borrowed" this sleeve from my public library.

[jobucats]

Thanks for sharing this. Has there been any statements made by Diana as to why this particular photo was selected as the cover of her first album? It is indeed artistic, however, I wonder if there was some particular statement/meaning that is being made depicting her in this almost childlike way. It appears, based on the dirty looking shirt, that this child might be from some financially deprived background. My observation, in no way, is an indictment. I love the photo.

[reese]

Thanks for sharing this. Has there been any statements made by Diana as to why this particular photo was selected as the cover of her first album? It is indeed artistic, however, I wonder if there was some particular statement/meaning that is being made depicting her in this almost childlike way. It appears, based on the dirty looking shirt, that this child might be from some financially deprived background. My observation, in no way, is an indictment. I love the photo.

Harry Langdon, the photographer, said that the photo was taken at the end of a regular photo session. Diana was eating an apple and reciting the words to BABY LOVE to an assistant. As a gag, Langdon developed the photo and sent it to Berry with a big banner saying something like "50 million records sold!"

Berry called Langdon to a meeting at Motown. When Langdon arrived, the meeting was full of Motown executives and the photo was in the middle of a conference table. Berry then asked Langdon to explain the point of the picture. Feeling on the spot, Langdon came up with some explanation that the photo took Diana back to her roots and back to the people who could no longer afford to buy tickets to her shows. Berry loved the explanation and decided it would be the album's cover photo, while also sort of chastising the executives by saying that all of the $ he was paying them, why did he have to go outside of the company to get such a great idea? Langdon went on to say that from that time on, he had a somewhat difficult time with some of the Motown folks because of that.

Note: in color photos from the session, you can see the shirt is tie-dyed rather than dirty, which is how it might come across in sepia tent.

Info taken from J. Randy Tarraborelli's [[sp) books on Diana and Motown.

[jobucats]

Harry Langdon, the photographer, said that the photo was taken at the end of a regular photo session. Diana was eating an apple and reciting the words to BABY LOVE to an assistant. As a gag, Langdon developed the photo and sent it to Berry with a big banner saying something like "50 million records sold!"

Berry called Langdon to a meeting at Motown. When Langdon arrived, the meeting was full of Motown executives and the photo was in the middle of a conference table. Berry then asked Langdon to explain the point of the picture. Feeling on the spot, Langdon came up with some explanation that the photo took Diana back to her roots and back to the people who could no longer afford to buy tickets to her shows. Berry loved the explanation and decided it would be the album's cover photo, while also sort of chastising the executives by saying that all of the $ he was paying them, why did he have to go outside of the company to get such a great idea? Langdon went on to say that from that time on, he had a somewhat difficult time with some of the Motown folks because of that.

Note: in color photos from the session, you can see the shirt is tie-dyed rather than dirty, which is how it might come across in sepia tent.

Info taken from J. Randy Tarraborelli's [[sp) books on Diana and Motown.

Thank you so much, Reese, for sharing this insight from Randy's books. I didn't even think of the shirt being tie-dyed as the only photo I've seen is the sepia tint one. It goes to show us all that a moment's simple inspiration, as opposed to a calculated plan, can result in one's best work.

[kenneth]

Langdon is recognized as one of the truly great portrait photographers. His father, also named Harry Langdon, was a silent screen comedian in the Charlie Chaplin mode. Langdon II has done many, many famous album covers including one of my favorites from another diva: