Fit for a Queen — Adam White

DIANA ROSS’ SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GREAT BRITAIN

Prince Charles on background vocals?

Oh, not that Prince Charles. Mind you, the next King of England enjoyed seeing Diana Ross at the weekend, singing in front of the family residence, so perhaps she should ask him to the studio when next in London. That way, she’d be sure to get a return engagement at Buckingham Palace.

(Turns out that it’s Prince Charlez singing background on “Come Together,” from Ross’ latest album, Thank You. Otherwise known as Charles Hinshaw, he also co-wrote the song with her and three others.)

***Diana performs at the Palace, 2022***

But let’s stick with Britain’s royal family for a few moments more. Because it really was a privilege for Ross to headline the June 4 Platinum Jubilee concert in London during the celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years as monarch. When introduced on stage that night, the singer was declared to be “a particular favourite” of the royals.

Ross put on a performance fit for a Queen, of course. She opened with the song which topped the British charts in 1986, “Chain Reaction,” followed with the title track of Thank You, and closed with – what else? – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The last was particularly well-received by the thousands of flag-waving Britons in front of Buckingham Palace, and doubtless also by the 13 million citizens who saw the show live on BBC-TV. (You can see Ross in her splendour here.)

Naturally, the queen of Motown thanked Her Majesty for dedicated service to her country, and led the crowd to do the same, loudly. She looked the part, too. “Ross shimmied her way into a large black-and-white tulle skirt,” noted one newspaper, “with multiple tiers all cascading out from one another.” The bottom of the skirt, it went on, had the most width and volume, “the puffy quality of the garment matching the hefty jacket the star wore.” (It was rather cold that night.)

The concert was impressive enough before Diana delivered. There was a pair of participating knights – Sir Rod Stewart and Sir Elton John – as well as Andrea Bocelli, Queen with Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and many more, plus the casts of The Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton (a touch of irony?) and The Lion King, among others.

TAKING GRATITUDE ON THE ROAD

Ross would not have been the only one gratified to take part. At Decca Records, a glass or two must have been raised when the title tune of her label debut received such exposure. Granted, the song’s sentiment and lyrics were perfect for the occasion, but that an American was chosen to close a supremely British celebration…

Then again, Ms. Ross has had remarkable, if not unique, connections to the United Kingdom throughout her career. And that’s not stopping anytime soon: she began her nationwide “Thank You” tour on June 10 at Cardiff Castle, followed by shows in Cambridge, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and elsewhere, including a pandemic-postponed appearance at another British institution, the Glastonbury Festival, on June 26.

It’s been quite a journey (sorry) since Ross first landed on British soil in October 1964, in the company of Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. The intervening years have seen her sing for royalty twice before: in 1968 (when she stirred controversy with a monologue about Dr. Martin Luther King) and in 1991. Both were for the traditional Royal Variety Performance shows, the first in front of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the second before Queen Elizabeth II herself.

Too, Ross has appeared at a number of Britain’s most historic venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and Blenheim Palace. Then there was 2002’s charity fundraising concert at London’s Hyde Park, in aid of The Prince’s Trust (Prince Charles, in this case). And at other notable sites, she’s done private gigs, such as her 2009 turn at Broughton Hall, the Jacobean home of billionaire businessman John Caudwell, to mark his partner’s 40th birthday. In 2014, Ross played at London’s popular Grosvenor House to mark the 25th anniversary of betting firm CMC Markets.

As a solo superstar, Ross first toured the U.K. in 1973, performing in major concert halls to adoring audiences. “Our most fantastic response comes in England,” her then-manager, Shelly Berger, told Billboard. “In fact, the last time we played the Albert Hall, we had to dress somebody like Diana and use her as a decoy while we slipped out the back. In the provinces, we’ve been thrown into police cars and driven away from concerts because the limousine would be covered with people.”

‘MOST SUCCESSFUL FEMALE’

Such popularity is also reflected in the U.K. charts. Ross has scored ten Top 10 solo albums (plus her duet set with Marvin Gaye) over the past 51 years, compared to four in her homeland. She’s had some 40 albums on the British best-sellers, compared to a U.S. total of 30. Thank You reached the Top 10 in Britain last November, a peak not (yet) matched in America.

Readers with long memories may recall that The Guinness Book of Records honoured Ross in 1993 as the most successful female artist in the U.K. singles charts. Her total of solo hits then was 51 – and it’s now in the region of 70. She was also presented with The Guinness Book of Records’ lifetime achievement award during an October ’93 ceremony in London. That coincided with the local release of an album, The Ultimate Collection – which reached Number One a few weeks later – and the publication of her memoir, Secrets of a Sparrow. A concurrent reissue of “Chain Reaction” entered the Top 20, seven years after its original chart peak.

***Celebrating CMC’s 25th anniversary, 2014***

All that said, there have been low points in Ross’ relationship with the United Queendom. The worst may have been her arrest at Heathrow Airport in September 1999, when she allegedly assaulted a female security guard who tried to body-search her while she waited to board a Concorde flight to New York. The star was subsequently cautioned, not charged, but this stirred a tsunami of publicity. One tabloid newspaper devoted its front page and more to the incident, complete with an interview (“They said I might be put in the cells and I broke down in tears,” Ross revealed) and an editorial (“Supremely silly to frisk angry Diana”).

Brighter notes have been struck by U.K. record companies over the years. After Ross quit Motown, she signed in 1981 to RCA Records for North America – and to EMI Music for the world beyond. At the time, the latter contract was reckoned to be worth more than $6 million (approximately $21 million today) to the singer. Later, Ross also cut a collection of Christmas songs, A Very Special Season, for EMI. This charted in Britain but went unreleased in America, much like her Greatest Hits Live, which was recorded at London’s Wembley Arena in 1989.

Now, Decca Records is the latest British-based music company to recruit Ross, signed for the world. It’s a national institution in its own right, formed 93 years ago and today part of Universal Music. “The fact that she chose us is a real privilege,” Decca co-president Tom Lewis recently told Music Week, “and the fact that these songs are going to become part of her story is an amazing thrill.”

Which brings us full circle to Thank You. Now, once again, who exactly is that on background vocals?

Music notes: Among Diana Ross’ multiple hits on both sides of the Atlantic, there are ten which reached the U.K. Top 10, but which failed to match those heights in the U.S. (at least two weren’t even released as American 45s). The British-beloved ten are to be found in this WGB playlist, in chronological order from 1971 to 1999. Two of them topped the charts: “I’m Still Waiting” in ‘71, and the above-cited “Chain Reaction,” 15 years later.

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