NEW DIANA ROSS BIO ALLEGES MOTOWN MISDEEDS: Unauthorized book claims she had 'in-house' romances in addition to Gordy.
*A new unauthorized biography of Diana Ross claims she slept her way to the top of Motown – in addition to her relationship with founder Berry Gordy – in a quest to become the label's biggest star, reports the New York Post.
"The Diana Ross few knew outside of the Motown colony was on a fast track to rise to the top from the first day she got to Motown; not incidentally, that was also the first day she knew who[m] she wanted to sleep with to keep up the momentum," writes Mark Ribowsky in his unauthorized biography, "The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success and Betrayal," out in July from Da Capo Press.
"That, of course, turned out to be Berry Gordy, but only after" some other in-house romances, the book says. "In no time, Ross would climb beyond [the Supremes] onto the A-list as a solo act, record six more Number 1 songs, and earn millions as well as top billing in two movies."
Ribowsky also says Ross was guilty of "quietly twisting the knife in the other Supremes" as she rose to the top, but "even as a pop diva of epic dimensions, [she] never shook her identity as a Supreme, and has, in a way, been forced to bow before it."
Mary Wilson, an original member of the group, and Cindy Birdsong, who replaced the late Florence Ballard, got their revenge when Ross tried to organize a 2000 Supremes reunion tour and offered them "a fraction" of the $15 million she'd get.
According to the book, "[They] backstabbed Ross . . . the pair refused to recede into her spotlight. Ross then tried to replace them with two nominal Supremes of the '70s, but Supremes fans were interested only in the original configuration of the group and the tour was called off."
