Diana Ross emerged from the housing projects of Detroit to become an international superstar, gaining prominence first as a member of the Supremes, then as a solo artist. The mention of her name evokes the indelible image of the broadly smiling diva, the long hair, sequined gowns, etc. She has no great range as a vocalist, but within her limitations is a fairly versatile singer, and proved equally, if not more adept at acting, although Ross has largely failed to live up to promise in this field.
Born in 1944, Diana Ross first recorded on the small Lupine label in 1959, as a member of the Primettes, along with fellow members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Betty McGlowen. Betty left the group thereafter and was replaced by Barbara Martin. When Martin exited, the group carried on as a trio.
Signed to Motown in 1961, only a few years after the labels' formation, the group's name was changed to the Supremes. Success, however, did not come immediately, and several releases came and went with little notice.
Ballard had initally been the lead singer, but Motown founder Berry Gordy soon decided that Ross would be the focal point of the group, and all Supremes singles released after 1963 featured Diana singing lead. That year they first hit the Top 40 with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes".
But 1964 was the breakthrough year for the Supremes. "Where Did Our Love Go" began a run of five consecutive #1 singles, and in total, between 1964 and 1967 the girls accumulated five more, ending with "The Happening" in 1967. These included "Baby Love", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Can't Hurry Love" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On", all considered classics today. The Motown sound against Ross' girlish delivery was an extremely popular combination that rivalled even the Beatles for pop supremacy (example: The Supremes album "A Go Go" knocked The Beatles "Revolver" out of the #1 spot in 1966).
Behind the scenes trouble was becoming prevalent. Wilson and Ballard were being pushed more and more into the background as rumors began to circulate that Diana was leaving the group. A romantic relationship between Ross and Gordy did not help the situation, and resentful Ballard began drinking heavily, gaining weight and missing appearances. She was ousted shortly after the release of "Reflections" in 1967, and replaced by Cindy Birdsong (Ballard later died of cardiac arrest in 1976- she was 32). That year the name of the group was officially changed to Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Diana stayed for two more years, during which the Supremes, though still successful, could not match their previous successes. They hit #1 in 1968 with "Love Child" and again the following year with "Someday We'll Be Together", Ross' last release with the group (and the final #1 hit of the 1960's altogether, holding the top spot in the last week of December).
Ross, who had recently moved from Detroit to California, launched her solo career shortly thereafter, and the 1970's were a period of ups and downs, both professionally and personally. Her reworking of the Ashford and Simpson standard "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" became her first #1 solo hit, followed by a series of lesser hits. Her first child, Rhonda, was born in 1971 (she was later revealed to be Berry Gordy's child), and Ross married her first husband, Robert Ellis Siberstein, a union that produced two other children, Tracee and Chudney, but later ended in divorce.
In 1972 Diana Ross made her film debut portraying the late jazz singer Billie Holiday in "Lady Sings the Blues". The film was successful, and Ross received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Later film ventures such as "Mahogany" (1975) and "The Wiz" (1978), proved less successful, and Ross did not appear in a film again for a number of years.
During this time, Ross' recording career proved to be quite erratic, but she did enjoy several hits during the decade, including "Touch Me in the Morning" (1973), "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" (1975), "Love Hangover" (1976, her introduction to disco), and "The Boss" (1979).
By the end of the decade, Diana and her daughters had moved to New York. In 1980 she teamed with Nile Rodgers and Benard Edwards of the band Chic to record what would become the biggest album of her career, "diana". Although there were artistic tensions (Ross, unhappy with the initial results, reportedly went back into the studio and altered the mixes without Rodgers and Edwards knowledge), "diana" was a smash, producing the hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out". Later that year she reached the top ten again with the theme song from the film "It's My Turn".
By this point, however, Ross had become discontent at Motown, and left the company in 1981, signing with RCA for a reported 20 million dollars, the most lucrative contract up to that time. Just prior to leaving Motown, Ross enjoyed the biggest hit single of her career with "Endless Love", a duet with Lionel Ritchie that went to #1 and stayed there for nine weeks.
During the 1980's Ross stayed in the public eye, having several hit singles at RCA including "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1981), "Mirror, Mirror" and "Muscles" (both 1982). She gave a high-profile concert in New York's Central Park the following year which made headlines due to a massive storm that broke out mid-concert, and in 1985 she also hit the top ten again with "Missing You", dedicated to the late Marvin Gaye. Unfortunately, thereafter a decline occurred, and none of the releases from her final RCA albums reached the Top 40. Ross married again, this time to Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess, and bore two sons, Ross and Evan.
There was a period of negative publicity, along with the publication of two image-damaging books, "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme" by former Supreme Mary Wilson, and "Call Her Miss Ross" by J. Randy Tarraborrelli. Both were bestsellers that depicted Ross in a less than flattering light. The year "Call Her Miss Ross" was released, Diana returned to Motown, but her first album under the new contract, "Workin' Overtime", failed to restore her to the pop charts (although she did have success on R&B radio), as did her followup, 1991's "The Force Behind the Power" (although she did have a big hit in the UK with "When You Tell Me That You Love Me").
A live album and TV special, "Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings Jazz and Blues" followed in 1992, and in 1993, Diana Ross published her memoirs, "Secrets of a Sparrow", but the book negative reviews.
She returned to acting in 1994, appearing in the TV film "Out of Darkness, which gave Diana good reviews and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Another TV film, "Double Platinum" (co-starring singer Brandy), followed in 1999. During this period, Ross attempted to regain pop success in the US, but neither "Take Me Higher" (1995) or "Every Day is a New Day" (1999), attracted much attention. That year Diana also divorced Arne Naess.
Diana Ross has always been a somewhat controversial figure, and the new millenium is proving to be no exception, with headlines ranging from a botched Supremes reunion (which lead to more public altercations with Mary Wilson), and a DUI arrest. Regardless of all of this, her place in music history is assured, having left her mark on the rock era with one of the worlds' most recognizable voices.
Bio written by: markus1976 |
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