Diana Ross is an American singer and actress, who is one of the most successful recording artists with record sales exceeding 100 million copies. She was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She began singing in high school and formed a band with her friends Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Barbara Martin. Martin dropped out, but the rest formed a group called “The Supremes” which was signed by Motown Records by the label founder Berry Gordy, in 1961 when they were just 17. Their first No. 1 hit song was “Where Did Our Love Go?” released in 1964. This was followed by a multitude of hits such as “Stop! In the Name of Love” released in 1965 and “Someday We Will Be Together” released in 1969. The group was later renamed “Diana Ross and the Supremes”.
Despite the group’s international success, Ross decided to leave and go solo, which she did in 1969. Her first successes as a solo artist were the singles “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which reached No. 1 on the pop charts and gave Ross her first Grammy Award nomination. She made her first foray into acting by starring in the 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues” based on the life of Billie Holiday. Ross received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance. She also sang the soundtrack for the film which was a huge success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and generating one of her highest sales. In 1973, she recorded a duet album with Marvin Gaye, another successful Motown artist. The album was certified Gold in the U.K. and became a huge success overseas. Ross toured extensively in the following years, and even received an invitation for a private audience with the Japanese Empress Nagako at the Imperial Palace in Japan.
In 1974, Ross acted in the film “Mahagony” and achieved another No. 1 hit with the song “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” which was on the film’s soundtrack. In 1976, she achieved another No. 1 hit with “Love Hangover”, this
