Diana Ross - Biography

Last Editor: e.clanagan				Diana Ross Biography -   Name : Diana Ross Profession : Actress/Singer Birth Details : born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross [1] on March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan

Diana Ross Trivia -

Mother of Rhonda Ross Kendrick ( with Berry Gordy but raised as Robert Silberstein's daughter because Diana married Robert in Jan 1971 before Rhonda's birth ),. From her marriage to Robert Ellis Silberstein she has daughters Tracee Ellis Ross and Chudney Ross (b. 4 November 1975). With her second 16 year marriage to Norwegian shipping millionaire Arne Naess Jr she has sons Ross Arne Naess (b. 7 October 1987) and Evan Ross (b. 26 August 1988). On 23 September 1999, she was arrested for grabbing an airport security guard's breast, whom she claimed touched her breast while she was being frisked after setting off an airport metal detector. She entered Malibu, CA drug and alcohol rehab Promises center May 20, 2002 prior to start of global summer tour. In 1983 introduced a line of pantyhose "Diana Ross Ultra Sheers" Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Supremes) in 1988. Renewed vows with now-ex-husband Arne Naess Jr. on 1 February 1986 in Switzerland. A member of The Supremes from 15 January 1961 - 14 January 1970. The second of 6 children. Graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1962 In January 1965 Music Business Magazine named The Supremes the #1 Female Soul Artist. The Supremes once co-hosted "The Mike Douglas Show" (1961). In January 1967 The Supremes was voted #1 by the readers of Playboy Magazine. Made her first solo TV appearance with Lucille Ball and Dinah Shore. On November 8, 1969, she announced that she was leaving The Supremes in order to pursue a solo career, but the last Supremes concert with Ross was played on January 14, 1970, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Was honoured by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as the most successful female singer of all time. Received the Lifetime Achievement Award from MIDEM in 1994 Performed the half-time show on Super Bowl in 1996 Received the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk of Fame Award on October 23, 1999 Received a 2000 Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). The award was the highest distinction bestowed by the New York Chapter. 10 days after the terrorist attack (9-11), she sang, "God Bless America", at Shea Stadium in New York City, New York. [21 September 2001] Sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 1982 Measurements: 34C-25-35 (after implants 1990), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Ross is the 2nd of six children born to Baptist family by Fred Ross Sr. and Ernestine Moten in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in in Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects. Intended to call her third daughter (born in 1975) "Chutney", yet misspelled the name as "Chudney" on the birth certificate. Grew up in Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects. When she was with The Supremes the group had 12 #1 songs and 18 top ten songs in the US. Her ex-husband, Arne Naess Jr., died on 13th January, 2004 in a climbing accident in South Africa. Ranked #38 on VH1's Greatest Women of Rock N Roll Mother of Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Ross and Evan Ross. Sister of Barbara Ross (doctor), Rita Ross (schoolteacher), Fred Ross, Jr., Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross (successful Motown songwriter), and Wilbert "Chico" Ross (a dancer on Ross' tours). February 2004 - Sentenced to two days in jail, 36 hours of counseling, and one year probation after a no-contest plea for driving under the influence in Tucson, Arizona, in 2002. Is the most successful female recording artist ever with 18 US #1 hits and 70 top 10 hits since 1964 Brother Arthur was murdered in Detroit in 1996. Has been nominated for 12 Grammy awards, but never won. In 1972 she and Cicely Tyson were both nominated for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" Oscars. This was only the second time in the history of the Academy Awards that African-American actresses were nominated in the "Best Actress" Oscar category. The first was Dorothy Dandridge's nomination for Carmen Jones (1954). Billboard Magazine named her Female Entertainer of The Century. Is on the board of A Better Chance, the only national program that recruits and places academically talented inner city children in the nation's best prepatatory schools. Ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists in 2002. She and The Supremes' had appeared on "Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") 17 times from 1964-1969. She has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame, one for her work with The Supremes and one for her solo career. Her 1981 song "I'm Coming Out" was used in The Princess Diaries (2001) trailer and in the Maid in Manhattan (2002) soundtrack, which was revived by Amerie. Inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Foundation as a member of The Supremes on February 21, 2003. Has won the Legendary Female award from the Capitol Gold Legends Award (2003). Does not write songs of her own like Linda Ronstadt and Barbra Streisand. Won a Special Tony Award in 1977. Performed a memorable free concert through a terrible storm in New York City's Central Park in the summer of 1983. The storm caused much damage to the park, and she agreed to pony up the costs of repair a few years later.   She and The Supremes had appeared on "Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") 17 times from 1964-1969. The Supremes ranked #16 on VH1's Greatest Women in Rock N Roll. Is portrayed by Holly Robinson Peete in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) (TV). When interviewed on the TV show "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" (2002), she explained that her hit song, "Missing You", was in memory of her good friend, Marvin Gaye. Is one of only 7 African-American actresses to receive the Best Actress Oscar nomination. The others in chronological order are: Dorothy Dandridge, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett and Halle Berry. Her father, Fred Ross, passed away November 20, 2007 at the age of 87. Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson. Daughter Tracee Ellis Ross is best known to the public for her starring role as "Joan Clayton" on "Girlfriends" (2000). Classmate and former neighbors of Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, who later joined Ross in The Supremes. She is of Native American ancestry specifically Cherokee. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The Supremes were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Diana Ross Detailed Biography -

Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross 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 (seventeen 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 . 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)" (US #20, US 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. 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 US 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 Holland. "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. After a downturn in record sales during the second half of 1980s, 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. 1995's Take Me Higher and 1999's Everyday Is a New Day performed similarly in the USA. 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 was let go from Motown, after a lackluster 13 years, in 2002. 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, was on the brink of 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 an 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). However, after its successful first couple of weeks, the single dropped down the chart and after 8 weeks was gone from the UK Top 75 (Westlife's previous single was still in the chart the next week with 16 weeks on chart). 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. 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. Next Album Diana is in works on her next album which will be schedule to release this fall not spring. It will includes duets and the main concept of the album will be all about love. her recent duets with Westlife and Rod Stewart will most likely be included. 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). (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. 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.