That's right, Milwaukee, a living legend of Motown will be back in our arms again as Diana Ross performs Sunday, July 14 at the Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave., at 7 :30 p.m.
The show is part of Ross' Diamond Diana Celebration marking her 75th birthday.
One of the founding members of The Supremes, along with Mary Wilson and the late Florence Ballard, Ross later went on to a successful solo career, which included acting roles in "The Wiz" and the Billie Holiday biopic, "Lady Sings the Blues."
In 2007, Ross was feted by the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., and five years later, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave her its highest honor, the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave Ross the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the most prestigious civilian award given to a U.S. citizen.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show go on sale at noon on Friday, April 5. Details here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
