40 Years Ago! August 1979............

[johnjeb]

well there really wasn't a huge about of tv promotion for Boss either. Diana did a wonderful performance on Tonight Show. but were there any others? the HBO special aired in 80 i think but taped earlier.

And of course we don't really have much in terms of records of what was done with dj's and station managers. the publicity kits were sent out to accompany the promo copy of the lp. what was done at trade shows, etc

same for MW. although i think we know the answer - none

and for Partners too. S&S did a Mike Douglas show and that's about all i've ever heard

I saw Diana Ross in Boston in mid-April 1979...It was one of the first dates of her "new" tour which lasted about a month...amazingly at the Boston show there was not a word, pic, or hint that she had a single and album coming out within weeks...it was the same show I saw at Radio City in the Fall of 78 when she sang a couple of songs from the Ross 78 LP...it was the same show that eventually included several songs from The Boss album which was recorded for HBO in October 1979 and aired in January 1980...

When The Boss album came out I was amazed that I never heard a word about it, or read anything in Billboard or Soul Magazine, or that it was never mentioned during her April Boston performance...wtf...so that is how Motown did business and continually dropped the ball...at the very least, The Boss single should have been promoted during the April-May 1979 concert tour...

So, if they did a lousy job promoting Diana Ross' The Boss in 1979 then you can imagine promotion for Mary's album would be non-existent.