Ross, Diana (1944-…), gained fame as the glamorous lead singer of the Supremes , one of the most successful singing groups in the history of American rock music . During the 1960’s, the Supremes became one of the first African American groups to gain popularity with both black and white audiences. Ross sang with the Supremes from 1961 until she left the group in 1970 to start a solo career as a singer and motion-picture actress.
Diane Ernestine Earle Ross was born in Detroit on March 26, 1944. While she was in high school, Ross began singing with three other girls in a group called the Primettes. They changed their name to the Supremes in 1961 when they signed a record contract with the Tamla label owned by Berry Gordy, Jr. . Later that year, the Supremes became a trio consisting of Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard. They moved to Gordy’s Motown label where the trio’s first release was “Your Heart Belongs to Me” (1962). From 1964 to 1967, the Supremes had more than 10 hit songs, including “Where Did Our Love Go?” “Baby Love,” and “Come See About Me” (all 1964); “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965); and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966). In 1967, the group changed its name to Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Ross began her solo career in early 1970. Later that year, she had her first hit with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Ross made her motion-picture debut in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), receiving an Academy Award nomination for her performance as jazz singer Billie Holiday . Ross also starred in Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978). Her recording of the theme from Mahogany, “Do You Know Where You’re Going To,” became a hit. Ross’s other hit recordings include “Touch Me in the Morning” (1973), “Love Hangover” (1976), “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” (both 1980), and a duet with Lionel Ritchie called “Endless Love” (1981). The Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2000, Ross appeared with the Supremes on the group’s “Return to Love” tour. Ross was the only original member of the trio to appear, however. The other two singers were members of the Supremes who had joined the group after Ross left. Ross wrote an autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow (1993).
