The Wiz (film) certain we didn't use anything from it. They made a brilliant movie, and even though our concept is different – they're Kansas, we're New York; they're white, we're black, and the score and the books are totally different – we wanted to make sure that we never overlapped in any area." Michael Jackson, a former Motown star and close friend of Diana Ross was cast as the Scarecrow. By the start of development on "The Wiz" in 1977, he and his brothers The Jacksons, had left Motown for Epic Records, though Jackson had yet to make a solo album since
Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz with newcomer Shanice Williams reprising Ross' role of Dorothy (originally played by Stephanie Mills in the original Broadway play) in the television special that was seen by 11.5 million viewers on NBC. "All songs written by Charlie Smalls, unless otherwise noted." Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz is an album by Diana Ross, released by Motown Records/Universal on November 27, 2015. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical "The Wiz", in which she starred along with Michael Jackson. The songs were originally recorded in 1978,