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DIANA ROSS | DIVAS WE LOVE Series

An indisputable all-time “supreme” national treasure; Diana Ross has been a trailblazer on the music and cultural scene since before there was one.

An undisputed all time “supreme”  national treasure; Diana Ross has been a trailblazer on the music scene since before there was one.

Diana Ross : A Supreme Legacy

A product of a time filled with extreme and overt racism and turbulence, Diana Ross rose above her perceived limitations and has become a worldwide superstar against all odds. With vocal well beyond her years,  Diana and the Supremes signed a contract with Motown Records in 1961, under famed producer and label founder Berry Gordy Jr., and in 1964 they recorded their first No. 1 hit “Where Did Our Love Go?” after that the trio became iconic in their ability to make chart-topping hit after hit.

The Supremes- the Supremes -- Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard -- met in the late '50s
The Supremes- Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard — met in the late ’50s

https://youtu.be/izzKUoxL11E

As a solo artist, starting in 1969, she continued to leave her mark on the musical charts right up until this very day.

Diana Ross [aka Ain't No Mountain High Enough] (1970)
Diana Ross [aka Ain’t No Mountain High Enough] (1970)
Everything is Everything(1970): Love of my life / Love of my life / And everything is right / And everything is groovy / The boy moves me / Sets my soul on fire / Sweet love of mine / Sweet love of mine…
1973 Touch Me in the Morning (LP)-Diana Ross

https://youtu.be/sbLXnSXYAhg

Diana Ross – The Boss (1979)
Diana Ross – The Boss (1979)
Diana Ross Live in New York City (2017)
Diana Ross Live in New York City (2017)

 

Aside from her award winning vocals, Ms. Ross has also starred in many legendary and all time classic films. Diana’s riveting performance in the gritty biopic Lady Sings The Blues, garnered the songstress an Academy Award nomination . Adding to the fabric of American cinematic greatness, Diana also starred in Mahogany, alongside the equally magnetic Billy Dee Williams. The groundbreaking all-black cast of the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, an adaptation of The Wizard of OZ. In 1982 Ross formed her own production company,  Diana Ross Enterprises, and the first major project of her film division was to play the lead in a movie biography of Josephine Baker (1990), the St. Louis-born entertainer who became a European superstar between the world wars. This body of cinematic films firmly positioned Diana as a timeless and endearing actresses. 

Lady Sings the Blues (1972) was a film that has contributed greatly to American cinema
Lady Sings the Blues (1972) was a film that has contributed greatly to American cinema
Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross, is he story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams, is he story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Diana Ross had the starring role in the 1975 Broadway hit that re-imagines The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Diana Ross had the starring role in the 1975 Broadway hit that re-imagines The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Mahogany is a 1975 American romantic drama film starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams directed by Berry Gordy.
Mahogany is a 1975 American romantic drama film starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams directed by Berry Gordy.
Diana Ross played the lead role of Tracy, a struggling aspiring designer from Chicago whose ambition leads her to Rome where she ultimately has to choose between her successful career and love
Diana played the lead role of Tracy, a struggling aspiring designer from Chicago whose ambition leads her to Rome where she ultimately has to choose between her successful career and love.
Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams on set of Mahogany, 1975
1975 — Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams on set of Mahogany. — Image by © Steve Schapiro/Corbis
Diana Ross as Josephine Baker
Diana Ross as Josephine Baker

Her personal life reads like the pages of a romance novel. Ross has been married twice and has five children. In 1965, Ross became romantically involved with Motown CEO Berry Gordy, with whom she shares her eldest child Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein with. In 1971 Diana wed music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, whith whom she had two daughters Tracee Silberstein(a.k.a Tracee Ellis Ross) and Chudny Ross. After the pair divorced Diana married Norwegian tycoon Arne Næss Jr. in 1986 and had two sons; Ross Arne Næss and Evan Ross .

Berry Gordy with Diana Ross in London, 1965
Berry Gordy with Diana Ross in London, 1965
People magazine — January 26, 1976 — Diana Ross & then-husband Bob Silberstein with whom she had two daughters
People magazine — January 26, 1976 — Diana Ross & then-husband Bob Silberstein with whom she had two daughters
Diana Ross at her 1985 wedding to Arne Naess, Jr., a wealthy Norwegian shipping businessman and mountaineer. They had two sons
Diana Ross at her 1985 wedding to Arne Naess, Jr., a wealthy Norwegian shipping businessman and mountaineer. They had two sons
Diana Ross arrives with her children Tracee, Chudney and Rhonda, at Radio City Music Hall for her performance
19 Sep 1984, Manhattan, New York City, New York State, USA — Dianan Ross waves to fans as she arrives for her performance at Radio City Music Hall with her daughters, Tracee, Rhonda, and Chudney. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
Diana Ross with her five children
Diana Ross with her five children at 2007 BET Awards where she received a Lifetime Achievement Award, From L to R: Ross Arne Næss, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Diana Ross, Evan Ross and Chudney Ross.

When it comes to style, Diana Ross has been breaking the mold for centuries. Her funky and high-glamour style has been heralded, copied and celebrated from the streets to the runways of fashion for decades. Few have left such an enduring and indelible mark on both music and fashion as she has.

An undisputed all time “supreme”  national treasure; Diana Ross has been a trailblazer on the music scene since before there was one.

An undisputed all time "supreme"  national treasure; Diana Ross has been a trailblazer on the music scene since before there was one.

Prestige awards and accolades have not eluded Ms. Ross throughout her lifetime of over-achievement. As lead singer of the Supremes, and as a solo artist, she earned 18 number-one singles (12 as lead singer of the Supremes and 6 as a solo artist). In 2007, she was honored twice, first with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards, and later as one of the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors.  A few short years later in 2012, Ross received her first ever Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement (after a dozen prior nominations), and in 2016, Ross was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. And, tomorrow, the singer will receive the 2017 American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award; a crowning long overdo!

Diana Ross with her 'Heritage Award - Career Achievement' at the Soul Train Awards | 1995
Diana Ross with her ‘Heritage Award – Career Achievement’ at the Soul Train Awards | 1995
Diana Ross at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Press Room at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, February 12, 2012.
Diana Ross at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Press Room at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, February 12, 2012.
Diana receiving her Kennedys Center Honors Award
President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to singer Diana Ross during a ceremony
President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to singer Diana Ross during a ceremony

A huge funraiser for causes like , HIV/AIDS, Veteran’s and children’s causes, according to Guinness Bool of World Records, Ross is the most successful female artist in history as measured by her album sales – and these things combined make her an all-time top DIVA We Love!