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Origin Detroit, Michigan
Years active 1959–present
Genre(s) Pop, Soul, R&B
Label(s) Motown, RCA
This article is about the American musician. For the author, see Diana Ross (author)
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross [1] on March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American soul, R&B and pop singer and actress. Ross is one of the most successful female artists of her era, both due to her solo work and her role as lead singer of The Supremes during the 1960s.

In 1976, Billboard magazine named her the female entertainer of the century. In 1993, The Guinness Book Of World Records pronounced her the most successful female artist ever, partly due to her combined total of eighteen #1 singles, six of them recorded solo and the remaining dozen from her work with the Supremes. Only The Beatles (twenty number ones), Mariah Carey (seventeen number ones) and Elvis Presley (eighteen number ones) have equalled or bettered this accomplishment.

The Supremes
Main entry: The Supremes

Fred and Ernestine Ross had named and christened their daughter "Diane"; however, due to a clerical error, "Diana" was what wound up on her birth certificate [2] [3]. Regardless of the mistake, Ross would continue to use the name "Diane" through her teenage years.

Ross began her long music career with Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown as the doo-wop quartet the Primettes, a sister group to The Primes in 1959. After signing to Motown Records in 1961 and replacing McGlown with Barbara Martin, they changed the name of the group to The Supremes. Barbara Martin left the group shortly afterwards, and The Supremes carried on as a trio.

Although all the girls originally took turns singing lead, Motown chief Berry Gordy made Diane the permanent lead singer starting in 1964, because he felt her voice had the pop appeal the Supremes needed to cross over to white audiences. Ross also began using the name "Diana" at this time. Between the summer of 1964 and the summer of 1967, the Supremes released ten singles which went to #1 on the pop charts becoming the most successful black group of the decade.

In July 1967, Florence Ballard was fired from the Supremes and replaced with Cindy Birdsong. At this time, the group was officially renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes recognizing Ross as the focal point of the group. During this period, the group had two more #1 hits as Motown began plans for a Diana Ross solo career, which was announced in November 1969. In January 1970, Ross officially departed from the Supremes after a January 14 Farewell concert at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. The group moved on with new lead singer Jean Terrell, while Ross put the finishing touches on her debut album.

Early solo career
In the Spring of 1970, Diana Ross, Ross' debut solo album, was released. After the initial moderate success of what turned out to be Ross' signature concert song, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" (U.S. #20, U.S. R&B #7), Ross broke out of the pack with her cover of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's 1967 classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". The original 3-minute love duet was turned into a 6-minute dramatic soul opus, where Ross was in spoken word half of the running time. The song would peak at #1 on both the U.S. pop and R&B charts, and Ross received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

In the first few years of Ross' solo career, she developed a polished, soulful style that was particularly her own and was well suited to her work with songwriters-producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Ross and Gordy struggled to find a record able to top the success of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Her second release, Everything Is Everything, failed to produce a top 10 hit in America. However, her covers of Aretha Franklins "Call Me" (her second Grammy-nominated performance), The Carpenters' "(They Long To Be) Close To You", and the Beatles "The Long and Winding Road" on that album showed that she was, indeed, a singer to be reckoned with, exhibiting both the vulnerability and longing that would become her trademark. In the United Kingdom, she enjoyed a massive #1 hit from the LP, "I'm Still Waiting", which spent 4 weeks at the top. The cover photo of that album would later inspire Britney Spears who wears a similar outfit in her 2004 video for her single "Toxic". For her third, 1971's Surrender, she was teamed again with Ashford and Simpson. "Surrender" was notable for several Top 40 solo recordings, however, Gordy decided Ross needed a new outlet for her talent and set his sights on motions picture. It would prove to be a fateful move.

Lady Sings the Blues
When word got out that singer Diana Ross was going to portray jazz-blues legend Billie Holiday in a box-office movie, critics, Holiday's fans and Ross' skeptics laughed at the news. Like many of the singers-turned-actors of the day, Ross was slammed early by critics because "she didn't look like Billie" nor did she have the same qualities that made Holiday so unique when she became a superstar during the jazz era. However, Ross, Gordy, and the newly established film division of Motown Productions carried on with their Billie Holiday bio-pic production, Lady Sings the Blues.

Opening in theaters in the fall of 1972, Lady Sings the Blues became an instant hit and Ross received universal raves for her performance as Billie Holiday. It not only increased the star powers of Ross and Richard Pryor, who played Piano Man, but introduced the world to future star Billy Dee Williams, who would go on to become a leading sex symbol of the 1970s. Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and won Best Newcomer at the 1973 Golden Globes.

Ross covered a number of Holiday's songs for the film, including "Strange Fruit", "God Bless the Child", and "Good Morning Heartache", which was released as a single on the double-album Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack at the end of 1972. That album went on to hold the #1 spot on the album charts, and would be Ross' only solo album to reach that position in the US.

The movie was finally released on DVD in 2005.

In late 1971 and early 1972, Ross recorded an album of jazz standards to accompany the Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack. But Motown did not release the album for over 30 years. The album will be released as Blue on June 20, 2006. Blue includes Ross’s renditions of Cole Porter’s "Let’s Do It" and "I Loves Ya Porgy" by George and Ira Gershwin.

Diana & Marvin
By 1973, Diana Ross finally was able to see more chart success as a singer for the first time since 1970. With the Michael Masser produced "Touch Me in the Morning", she scored her first #1 pop hit in three years and received a third Grammy nomination. That same year, Ross released a duets album with fellow Motown artist Marvin Gaye entitled Diana and Marvin, scoring several chart hits. While the album was a moderate financial success, critics noted the lack of chemistry between the two singers, a result of the fact that the album was primarily a publicity move to promote Ross's image and that Gaye was not keen on working with her. This contributed to their parts being recorded separately although it has been suggested that Gaye refused to stop smoking his marijuana in the studio when the pregnant Ross was around. Their partnership did, however, produce some classic moments for them including their takes on the Stylistics' "You Are Everything" and "Stop, Look, Listen" and their own hit, "You're a Special Part of Me".

Mahogany
After the success of Lady Sings the Blues in 1972, Berry Gordy arranged for Diana Ross to take the lead in Mahogany. After firing renowned British director Tony Richardson claiming he did not understand the Black sensibility that the film required, Gordy assumed directing duties himself. The story was about a young woman from the Chicago ghettos who dreamed of being a successful model and fashion designer. Again, she teamed up with Billy Dee Williams as her love interest.

Opening in the fall of 1975, Mahogany wasn't the critical phenomenon that Ross probably hoped for, though it was a bankable success in the box-office. The film's theme song and lead soundtrack single, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", hit #1 on the U.S. pop charts and was nominated for an Oscar. During the Oscars telecast, Ross became the first artist to perform for the Oscars ceremony via satellite; she sang "Theme From Mahogany" from a bridge in Holland where she was performing a series of concerts.

"Love Hangover", The Wiz, and diana
In 1976, Ross headed into disco territory with the release of the seven-minute dance single "Love Hangover". It became her first #1 R&B hit since "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and the first of many of her songs to appear at or near the top of the Billboard Dance/Club singles chart. "Love Hangover" was released from Ross' second self-titled album, which became a Top 10 Pop and R&B album that summer. The hit had previously been turned down by Cher, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand.

In 1977, Diana broke concert records with a one-woman concert on Broadway. The concert was packaged into both a live album, An Evening with Diana Ross, and a TV special that same year. For her efforts, Ross won a special Tony Award.

In 1978, Ross was back in the film limelight, starring in the film version of the successful Broadway play The Wiz, with Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Richard Pryor. Many eyebrows were raised at Ross, then age 34, playing Dorothy, who in all other versions of The Wizard of Oz was portrayed as a young girl. The Wiz, which cost $24 million to make, only brought in $13 million dollars during its original theatrical release.

Unfortunately, projects Ross was planned to appear in, including a movie about Josephine Baker and The Bodyguard, which was supposed to co-star Ross and actor Ryan O'Neal as lovers, didn't come to fruition until years later. Actress Lynn Whitfield ended up playing Baker, and Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner ended up playing the lovers in The Bodyguard (1992).

Diana Ross returned to her music career and released two strong successive albums: 1979's The Boss and 1980's diana. The former, produced by longtime Ross collaborators Ashford & Simpson, was a bigger hit on the R&B charts than on the pop charts, but has since been hailed by most music critics as probably her strongest album as a solo artist. The latter, produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the legendary disco band CHIC, became the singer's biggest-selling record in her career, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The diana album yielded two classic signature hits: "Upside Down", Ross' first #1 of the '80s and her fifth as a solo artist, and "I'm Coming Out", which became a gay anthem and cemented Ross as a gay icon. Both songs have since been heavily sampled by hip hop artists. The album would have almost certainly continued to produce hits, but when Ross chose not to renew her contract with Motown, promotion on diana ceased and no further singles were released.

The RCA era
Having established herself as the biggest-selling female artist of the Motown label by 1981, Ross felt it was the right time to leave. She released the stunning ballad "It's My Turn" (recorded for the film of the same name starring Michael Douglas), and the song's lyrics were oddly personal and prophetic, signaling her break from Motown. Before leaving, however, she recorded a duet with Lionel Richie called "Endless Love", which proved to be the biggest record of her career as well as her last hit on the Motown label. The single was certified by the RIAA for 2 million units sold and helped to launch Richie's solo career.

In 1983 Ross reunited with fellow Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong at a television special for Motown's 25th anniversary. During the taping, Ross made a scene by shoving Wilson and knocking the microphone from Wilson's hand. This incident was never televised, but generated much negative press at the time (Wilson recounted the incident in her 1986 biography). Also in 1983, Ross garnered publicity when a Central Park televised concert was ruined by heavy rains.

She signed to RCA, and had success beginning with the platinum Why Do Fools Fall in Love; the title track of the LP was a cover of the Frankie Lymon hit. Ross continued into the early 1980s with the major hit singles "Mirror, Mirror" (#2 R&B, 1982), "Muscles" (#4 R&B and her final of 12 Grammy nominations, 1982), "Swept Away" (#1 Dance/Disco, 1984), and "All Of You" (#2 Adult Contemporary, 1984), a duet with Julio Iglesias. In 1984, she released "Missing You" (#1 R&B), a tribute to the recently deceased Marvin Gaye. Although the two singers were not particularly close it would become her final Top 10 hit. In 1986, she returned to Number 1 on the British charts for the first time in 15 years with the Supremes-inspired "Chain Reaction", which was written by the Bee Gees. Surprisingly, the single failed to crack the Top 40 in the USA although it also reached the top spot in Australia and the top 10 in several European countries. She returned to the Motown fold with Workin' Overtime in 1989.

Returning to Motown
Her Motown releases since 1989 have not been as successful in America as they have in Europe and Japan. For example, while 1991's The Force Behind the Power and the single "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" disappeared without a trace in America, the album and the song became bigger hits overseas. In fact, the single gave Ross a bold UK comeback, debuting in the Top 10 and peaking at #2 for 2 weeks over the holiday season. The album sold just under 600,000 copies and produced four additional hits: "One Shining Moment" (#10), and "If We Hold On Together" (#11; also #1 in Japan with over 465,000 copies sold), the title track (#27) and Heart (Don't Change My Mind) (#31). Following this success, One Woman: The Ultimate Collection went to #1 on the UK album chart in January 1994, selling 1.2 million copies in England alone, and 3 million copies throughout Europe. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" finally became a #1 hit in the USA for the American Idol finalists in the summer of 2005, proving that the ballad had hit potential and that Ross's original had indeed been unjustly overlooked in the USA. (NB.The single was re-recorded as a duet with the highly successful Irish 'boyband' Westlife and reached No 2 in the UK charts and top 10 around Europe in December 2005.). 1995's Take Me Higher and 1999's Everyday Is a New Day performed similarly in the USA, however there was a good deal of success in the UK with the singles 'I Will Survive', a particularly 'high energy' remake of the Gloria Gaynor classic and a remix of 'Not Over You Yet' both of which hit the Top 10 in the UK.

Diana expanded her versatility during this period by both recording a live opera album (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) and a live jazz album. Both releases did respectfully well on the Billboard Classical and Jazz Albums charts, reaching #1 on the former and the Top 10 on the latter. As a result, this made Ross one of the only artists to achieve fame in other genres other than the usual Pop and R&B. After the moderate success of Everyday Is a New Day, however, Ross left Motown, but remains signed to EMI worldwide, excluding North America.

During the 1990s, Diana returned to acting, appearing as a schizophrenic in the 1994 television movie Out of Darkness, and as a singer who's willing to reconcile with a daughter (played by Brandy Norwood) that she abandoned as a baby in 1999's Double Platinum. Ross was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Darkness.

Troubles at the top
Ross seemed to settle into middle age as the 1990s continued, but by the end of the decade, the singer landed in hot water after she was frisked by a female security guard at London's Heathrow Airport, and was ignored by Airport official when she complained that the guard's actions had not only been inappropriate, but verged on sexual harassment. She claimed it had not been necessary for the guard to feel her breasts and between her legs as she was wearing a skin-tight body stocking and was obviously not carrying a concealed weapon. Her complaints fell on deaf ears and after the security guard smirked at the Star as she returned to catch her flight, Ross approached the guard and frisked her in the same way she had been frisked, exclaiming "There, how do you like it." The security guard didn't like it. Ross was arrested, but the charges were eventually dropped.

In the 2000s, Ross tried to put together a tour with the former members of The Supremes. However, former Supremes founding member Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong passed on the tour, after being offered only $3 million and $1 million each, respectively, to join the tour, compared to the $15 million offered to Ross. Ross ended up recruiting Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne to begin the Return to Love tour. While Laurence and Payne were Supremes during the 1970s, they were never in the group at the same time or with Ross. The resulting tour was faced with problems, and was cancelled after the tenth show.

In 2002, Ross was pulled over for drunk driving outside of an Arizona Blockbuster Video store. After failing several sobriety tests and finding that her alcohol-blood level was 0.20--far above the legal Arizona limit of .08--the singer was arrested and later charged with a misdemeanor. In 2004, she served a 2-day sentence at a jail cell in Connecticut. The prison guard would later be accused of allowing Ross to do what she wanted while she was in prison. Ross only served 47 and one-half hours in jail, and was almost forced to return to serve another two-day sentence before a judge decided against it.

Current work
In 2004, Diana Ross, age 60, attempted a major comeback. She began touring again, first in Europe for the successful "Love Life Tour", then later taking part in a brief tour in America as well. She later performed in tribute to her friend and former Motown Records alum Stevie Wonder at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards, alongside Mary J. Blige and Destiny's Child.

Ross, who as of present does not have a recording contract, was chosen (at the age of 60) to be the 2005 face of MAC Cosmetics "Icon" makeup line. Her face was featured in magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue to promote the MAC makeup line. Her signature line of makeup featured limited edition pink makeup brushes and are now sold out and have become collectible. Rumored to be working on a new album, she has also turned up on duets for artists such as Ray Charles, boy band Westlife, and Rod Stewart, whose duet with Ross garnered Ross her first charted Billboard single in six years when "I've Got a Crush on You" made a notable debut at #33 on Billboard's adult contemporary charts, later reaching the peak at #19 (2006). Ross recently had done another tour of Europe and is planning to do several shows in South Africa before the year is out.

In December 2005 Diana Ross' first single of the decade, "When You Tell Me That You Love Me", was released in the UK. The song was a collaboration with the popular boy band Westlife, and debuted at inside the Top 5 with high sales (#2 UK, #2 Ireland). It is important to note that the song was released at a time when the UK singles chart is exceptionally busy (late December) and was faced with stiff competition from new and preceding singles. The song stayed strong on the Irish Singles Chart and throughout Europe.

35 years after the release of Ross' debut film, "Lady Sings The Blues", Paramount DVD released the film on DVD for the first time. A limited edition "collector's edition" featured exclusive interviews and commentaries from Ross, Berry Gordy and the film's director as well as deleted scenes from the film.

She is currently working on a re-write of an autobiography originally scheduled for 2004 release, entitled 'Upside Down - Right Turns and Wrong Turns'.

Next Album
Diana is working on her next album, which is scheduled for a fall 2006 release. It is likely to include duets, such as her recent duets with Westlife and Rod Stewart, and the main concept of the album will be all about love.

Personal
Diana Ross is the second of six children, three girls and three boys, from factory worker Fred Ross and teacher Ernestine Earle Ross. From 1971 to 1977, Diana Ross was married to music promoter Robert Ellis Silberstein, with whom she has two daughters (Tracee and Chudney). From 1986 to 1999, she was married to Norwegian businessman Arne Næss Jr., with whom she has two sons (Ross and Evan) Diana Ross youngest son Evan is featured in the upcoming film ATL. (Næss died in a South African mountain accident in January 2004).

Before her first marriage, Ross had been romantically linked with both Motown labelmate Smokey Robinson and Motown chief Berry Gordy, with whom she had her first child Rhonda. After her first marriage, she dated actor Ryan O'Neal, and KISS bassist and singer Gene Simmons. She is currently rumored to be dating the actor Jon Voight, estranged father of renowned actress Angelina Jolie

Her oldest daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, is a songstress and actress. Her second daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, is an actress who received claim to fame as one of the stars of the hit sitcom Girlfriends, now in its fifth season on the UPN network. Ross' youngest daughter, Chudney, in the meantime, is a model and television producer. Her TV credits include the reality show version of Fame with Debbie Allen.