Church Choir to “The Supremes”
Born in Detroit, Diana Ross grew up as a member of the Baptist church choir. She also regularly used to perform in school. In 1959, she joined an all girl quartet named “The Primettes”. The band consisted of Ross, along with Mary Wilson, Betty McGlown and Florence Ballard. A few years later, the members decided on changing the name from “Primettes” to “The Supremes”. That was when they ended up signing a contract with the historical Motown Records. One year later, Betty left the band and it became a trio. Eventually, Diana took the role of lead singer because of her strong vocals. The band gradually found its way to mainstream with number one hits like You Can’t Hurry and Baby Love.
By 1967, Diana Ross had already become the face of The Supremes; hence the name of the band was officially changed to “Diana Ross & The Supremes”. However, two years later Ross left the band to pursue a solo career.
Solo Career and Acting Debut
In May 1970, Diana Ross released her self-titled debut record. It featured her very first number one song as a solo artist, Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand). Throughout the ‘70s, Ross released hit after hit, and also launched her successful acting career. Ease on the Road, her 1978 duet with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was one of her major collaborated hits.
In the height of her career, Ross made her acting debut, appearing in a number of films such as Mahogany, Lady Sings the Blues and The Wiz. She is considered as one of the major contributors of the spectacular Motown era.
Four Decades of Music
A living legend, Diana Ross has spent four decades in the music industry and continues to record music as well as tour across the world. In 2000, she took a short hiatus from her singing career and returned two years later with a live tour across Europe and the US. A few years later, she was seen in “Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV” by Rob Stewart, in which she recorded I’ve Got a Crush on You. In 2006, Ross released a studio album after seven long years, titled “I Love You”. The album managed to sell 622,000 copies globally.
In 2010, Diana Ross embarked on a tour after three years and titled it “More Today than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour”. The tour was dedicated to Michael Jackson; her lifelong friend who had passed away a year before. In 2012, Ross was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Today, Ross continues to tour and held concerts across South America in 2013. She is returning to the US again this year for her April trek.