So Long, Baby

The Marvelettes, clockwise from top: Gladys Horton, Wanda Rogers, Katharine Anderson

GLADYS HORTON of The Marvelettes
1945 - 2011

Bitch Goddess

JOAN CRAWFORD
March 23, 1904 - May 10, 1977

It's impossible to separate Joan Crawford from The Mommie Myth, although a "reclamation project" (to cop a phrase from Charles Busch) has slowly been building over the years. To distill Crawford's legacy and essence down to a one-note wire hanger joke is not only unfair, but virtually erases a huge, vital chunk of film history. Whatever her character flaws may or may not have been, Joan Crawford was a superstar of the first rank from the 1920's through the 1970's -- arguably, the greatest of them all (with apologies to Miss Desmond).

It's also worth remembering that, although the iconic image of a hardened, shoulder-padded Crawford is forever frozen in time and memory, she was actually brilliant at constantly reinventing herself, never -- revisionist history to the contrary -- allowing herself to become an anachronism...The flapper of the 1920's, the clotheshorse of the 1930's, the proto-feminist of the 1940's, the lusty older woman of the 1950's, the Grande Dame of the 1960's and 1970's -- these were all clearly defined epochs in the Crawford canon, each one distinct and different...

...For all of her legendary temperament, her overly-exacting standards, her mania for perfection, Miss Crawford, it must be said, never expected any more from her colleagues, co-workers, employees or children than she expected of herself. The fact that mere mortals could rarely, if ever, work or conduct their lives with the 200 percent commitment and discipline which Joan Crawford demonstrated throughout her entire career probably never even crossed her mind.

So, we think, a little love and a lot of respect is due. She came from nothing -- for all her Grand Lady pretentions and affectation, Miss Crawford made no bones about her own squalid childhood -- and although she clearly benefitted from the pampering services of Metro in the halcyon days of the Studio System, JOAN CRAWFORD, Star, was almost entirely the result of her own iron will, ambition, talent, and ferocious drive to escape her past. La Crawford's greatest creation, her towering performance, was being Joan Crawford, and she lived and loved it 24 hours a day. For that, we offer our thanks and gratitude.Bless you, Joan! Wherever you are, we want you to know: We Understand.

DIANA ROSS
March 26, 1944

Like the other misunderstood Great Lady, Joan Crawford, Diana Ross's famed temperament and legendary demands often overshadow her very real, very important contributions and talents. As the first black female superstar to achieve the level of celebrity previously only afforded whites, Diana Ross should be mentioned each night in the prayers of everyone from Halle Berry to Oprah Winfrey to Tyra Banks. She also, directly or indirectly, influenced and paved the way for at least three generations of singers, from Donna Summer to Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson to Madonna, Beyonce to Rihanna. Indeed, Diana Ross nearly single-handedly invented and defined what we now accept as the template for the "pop diva"...

...Love her or hate her (and both camps are legion), Diana Ross simply cannot be denied. Her name was written in stone in the pantheon of greats long, long ago. Much of the mean-spiritedness with which so many of her colleagues, music historians, and successors disparage her name and reputation can be traced to the fact that not only did Diana Ross have the audacity to be black and beautiful, but she also made it seem so easy -- and she wasn't sentimental about cutting her losses and leaving people behind who couldn't help her achieve her goals. How dare she!

At the end of the day, however, the numbers and tallies don't lie: nearly 50 years in the business, 18 Number One hits, an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe Award, a special Tony, a Kennedy Center Honor, Billboard magazine's "Entertainer of the Century" citation, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame... why shouldn't we bow down and call her Miss Ross?

* TEXT TAKEN FROM EARLIER SSUWAT POSTS.

Are You Ready For a Brand New Beat?

Martha and the Vandellas may have been "the Supremes' feral cousins" (thank you, Peenee), but what they lacked in grace they made up for in guts. "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Streets," "Nowhere to Run" - all those hits, and most of the misses, absolutely explode from your speakers. Founding member Rosalind Ashford (center, above) was born on this day in 1949; we offer respect and gratitude. Thanks for the wax, Roz, especially our personal favorite, "You've Been in Love Too Long."

Youve Been In Love Too Long - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

Icons

As has been duly noted: Martha and her girls could cut a bitch. You don't mess with a Vandella.

Dreamgirls

We regularly dream that we are members of a Motown girl group. Most usually, we dream that we are in The Supremes -- graceful, demure, elegant.



Occasionally, we dream that we belong to the somewhat earthier, yet girlishly innocent Marvelettes.



Last night, for the first time, we had a disturbing dream that we were down-and-dirty Vandellas. As Muscato pointed out recently, them girls were one stocking-run away from being Ikettes.



Moving further down the Motown food chain, could we wind up a member of The Velvelettes?



Or, perhaps, even The Andantes?



It's a long way from The Copacabana back to the chitlin' circuit.

Miss Valerie Simpson

If you've ever lip-synced to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," or twirled to "The Boss" and "I'm Every Woman" -- and, chances are if you're reading this blog, you have -- then you can thank Valerie Simpson (August 26, 1946). Since 1964, homegirl and her husband, Nick Ashford, have been composing sumptuous soul and righteous R&B for everyone from Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, to Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan. Valerie was also an in-demand background vocalist for New York's famed Brill Building during the 1960's, often called upon to lend a touch of soul to a pop recording session.


L-R: VALERIE SIMPSON, JEAN THOMAS, ELLIE GREENWICH & MICKI HARRIS, C. 1965

Nick and Val's brief, yet productive, songwriting tenure at Motown from 1967-1971 yielded a string of classic duets for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; and they were largely responsible for crafting the early sound of a post-Supremes Diana Ross. Leaving Motown after feeling stifled in their ambitions as performers, Nick and Val became R&B superstars in their own right, alternating gorgeous ballads with anthemic, disco-tinged stompers. "Stay Free," "Is it Still Good to Ya" and "Found a Cure," among many others, are bona fide classics; their biggest hit as performers came in 1984, with the #1 smash, "Solid."


NICK AND VAL, C. 1982

The dynamic duo have continued to record and perform, as well as finding time to open and operate their famed New York eatery, Sugar Bar, which features an open-mike night. Don't tempt us.


NICK & VAL TODAY

Happy Birthday, Valerie Simpson! We're sure your day has been filled with love and song.

Divine Divas

Beyonce, Anika and Jennifer...eat your hearts out.