Arthur “T-Boy” Ross grew up in a rough part of Detroit. He hung with a rough group until his sister, singer Diana Ross, brought him into Motown Records as a songwriter. T-Boy began a prolific and successful career as a songwriter. He collaborated with Leon Ware and the duo composed songs Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, including the Top 20 hit “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” (The song was later covered by Dusty Springfield, The Fugees, Melissa Manchester, as well as Marvin Gaye.) T-Boy co-produced Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album I Want You. During production T-Boy and Ware had a falling out and the partnership was dissolved.
In 1979, T-Boy released his one and only solo album Changes. Despite a guest performance by jazz pianist Joe Sample, the album sold poorly. T-Boy was frustrated with the music business and he left the spotlight in 1980, disappearing into a very private life and living off of his royalties. He distanced himself from his family.
On June 22, 1996, police discovered the decaying bodies of T-Boy Ross and his wife Patricia in the basement of a house in suburban Detroit. They had been bound and gagged. Suffocation was determined to be the cause of death. Investigations revealed that the couplie had died approximately three weeks prior to their discovery. Since T-Boy had contact with very few people, no one had reported him missing. He was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing for drug possession charges. The court date was four days after his body was found.
T-Boy was 47 years old. His wife was 54.
In 2012, T-Boy’s solo album was re-issued on CD. It included a previously unreleased song called “To The Baby,” a tribute to his sister and her daughters Rhonda and Tracee Ellis.