Memories of Diana Ross & The Supremes performance at Expo '67 in Montreal, Canada

[R. Mark Desjardins]

I was a member of The Supremes Fan Club of Canada, founded by Eric Pressman in 1967 I even started an Ottawa chapter for a brief period, comprised mostly of high school friends. When Eric told me that he had obtained tickets for me to see the group's opening show, and the last show of their three day, six performance booking at the Expo Theatre, I was over the moon.

I contacted the teen editor at the Ottawa Citizen, the local paper which I was also a paperboy, and explained I'd like to do a review. Upon determining that I had a place to stay, they agreed. My parents let me go, a huge concession considering I was 16 at the time.

A press conference was set up at the Hotel Bonaventure in downtown Montreal, where the women were staying. Only Diana Ross was in attendance, and it became evident later that due to the recent departure of Florence Ballard, their management wanted to keep a lid on things.

As a teenager, I was totally ignored by seasoned reporters and DJ's who had only a few minutes for one on one time with Diana. Being shameless, I knelt down between a DJ and Diana straining to overhear their conversation which was being taped on a professional recording device. The DJ asked, "Diana, how would you describe the Motown Sound? She went "....hmmmm," and wasting no time, I hummed out a not so silent drum beat, making exaggerated movements with my hands. The hapless DJ's eyes burned into me, which I blissfully ignored and Diana, threw back her head, laughing gently, snapping her fingers, winked at me , saying, "That's it, That's it!"

For all the sins Diana Ross may have committed, perceived and otherwise, she has earned a pass from me for that magical encounter, that lives on in my memory, and which still gives me goosebumps and a mile wide smile, when I reflect back to that glorious shared moment.

On my recent trip back to Ottawa for my mom's 92 birthday, I spent several delightful hours at the down public library there searching for a microfilm copy of my concert review. You will note that I used my first name, Richard at the time and that the teen editor printed Cindy's name under Florence's photo.

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