Diana Ross, Hollywood's Supreme
Diana Ross started the business in Detroit with Motown when she was just 16 years old, becoming the lead singer of the Supremes, Motown's most successful act in the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups.
With twelve number-one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," and "Love Child," they remain the best-charting female group in history.
While the Supremes remain the second best-selling girl group ever, behind only the Spice Girls, Diana Ross has sold over 100 million records as a solo artist as well as combined sales which makes her one of the best-selling of all time.
My introduction to Diana Ross' silky vocals starts in the late 90s, in my early childhood. I could sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "You Can't Hurry Love" long before I could confidently recite the multiplication table for seven. ( Fun fact; I still cannot recite that.)
Spanning multiple genres like R&B, pop, soul, disco and dance, Diana's sound set the pace for the sort of music I enjoy now in my 20s.
Her iconic performances at the Hollywood Bowl last month pushed me to seek out fellow Diana fans.
Besides her pure signature voice and infectious smile, Elizabeth said Ms Ross is Iconic because "she is the original inventor of the glam custom movement as a performer.’’
‘’From her hair and shining wear to her mic, she looks like Diana Ross, the diva giving you an experience of a lifetime. The delight of her stage performance. She is aware of her presence and treats it like royalty. Recently, she had a performance in London, and her stage presence still feels the same,’’ Elizabeth said.
Glamorous outfits and unique vocals punctuate Diana’s performances. Her thick luscious dark hair flowed down her back, capturing a lot of attention.
Jennifer agrees; "I’m a huge fan of hers. Reasons? Her music, her sense of fashion and her big ass hair (or is it a wig?)’’
Though scandals and affairs marked her early career, Diana Ross' private life serves as inspiration for her fans.
"In her personal life, there is self-preservation finesse. Her choice of romantic partners is strategic and deliberate; still, the public knows nothing about them in detail other than the prominent affair with the Motown founder. She knows what she wants," Jennifer said.
Elizabeth believes the best part of Diana's family life is her relationship with her daughter, Blackish star Tracee Ellis Ross.
Diana Ross went on to have a successful solo career in music, film, television, and on stage after leaving the Supremes in 1970. Her self-titled debut solo album featured the number-one hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in the United States and the music anthem "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)".
Everything Is Everything was her second solo album, released in 1970. The song "I'm Still Waiting" became her first UK number-one single. She continued her successful solo career by mounting elaborate record-breaking worldwide concert tours, starring in several highly watched prime-time television specials, and releasing hit albums such as Touch Me in the Morning (1973), Mahogany (1975), and Diana Ross (1976).
Diana Ross also churned out chart-topping as well as number-one hit singles "Touch Me in the Morning", "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", and "Love Hangover".
Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Diana Ross had numerous top-ten hits on various Billboard charts.
She had several more global number-one singles, including "Upside Down" (1980), "Endless Love" (1981), "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1982), "Chain Reaction" (1986), "If We Stay Together" (1988), and "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (1989).
This year, She and Tame Impala featured on the soundtrack for Minions: The Rise of Gru, on "Turn Up The Sunshine."
As an actor, Diana Ross achieved mainstream success and recognition. Bandit particularly loves her role in the movie Double Platinum(1999), praising her acting chops.
"She was vulnerable, and it felt real that I thought Brandy was her daughter," Bandit said.
Her first role was as Billie Holiday in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. She also recorded the soundtrack, which became a number one hit on the US album chart.
She also appeared in two other feature films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1976) (1978). She later starred in the television film Out of Darkness (1994), for which she received a Golden Globe Award.