Diana Ross - Motown Music Biography ( deutsch )

Diana Ross (* 26. März 1944 als Diane Ross in Detroit , Michigan ) ist eine US-amerikanische Sängerin.1964 hatte eine amerikanische "Girl-Group" mit dem Song "Where Did our Love Go" ihren ersten #1 Hit in den amerikanischen Charts. Diana Ross, Florence Ballard und Mary Wilson nannten sich The Supremes, kamen aus Detroit und hatten das Glück, bei einer kleinen Plattenfirma (Motown) unterzukommen. Motown, der Name war eine Kurzform für 'Motortown' und stand für die Autostadt Detroit, hatte zahlreiche - zunächst völlig unbekannte - Sängerinnen, Sänger und Gruppen unter Vertrag, von denen viele im Laufe der 60er Jahre zu weltbekannten Stars der Musikszene aufstiegen: Marvin Gaye , Stevie Wonder , The Four Tops, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas und The Temptations gehörten dazu.
 
Das weitaus bekannteste und erfolgreichste Produkt der Firma waren die Supremes. Insgesamt 12 mal erreichte das Trio die Spitzenposition der Hitparade und konnte sich bald zu den internationalen Spitzenstars zählen, nicht zuletzt durch ihre glamourösen Live-Auftritte und ihre perfekte Show. 1967 verließ Florence Ballard die Supremes und wurde von Cyndi Birdsong ersetzt. Gleichzeitig nannte sich die Gruppe fortan "Diana Ross & the Supremes". Das Ende der Supremes mit Diana Ross als Leadsängerin kam 1970 in Las Vegas. Diana wurde in der Gruppe durch Jean Terrell ersetzt.
 
Noch im selben Jahr startete Diana Ross ihre Solokarriere. Ihr erstes Soloalbum ("Diana Ross") und ihre erste Solosingle ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)") wurden zwar nur Achtungserfolge, aber zwischen 1970 und 1980 erreichte Diana insgesamt sechs mal wieder den Spitzenplatz der US-Charts. Zu den größten Erfolgen zählten Songs wie "Upside Down" (1980) und ein Duett mit Lionel Richie "Endless Love" (1981).
 
1972 debütierte Diana Ross in dem Film "Lady Sings the Blues" und wurde 1973 als beste Darstellerin für einen " Oscar " nominiert. (Dieser ging dann allerdings an Liza Minnelli für ihre Rolle in "Cabaret".) "Lady Sings the Blues" wurde zum Kassenschlager und bekam mehrere internationale Preise. Zwei weitere Filme folgten in den 70er Jahren "Mahogany" (1975) und "The Wiz" (1978). Weitere zunächst geplante Flimprojekte – z.B. die Verfilmung der Josephine-Baker-Lebensgeschichte 'Naked at the Feast" – wurden nicht realisiert. Anfang der 90er Jahre spielte Diana Ross die Hauptrolle in dem TV-Spielfilm "Out of Darkness", 1999 dann folgte "Double Platinum".
 
1981 verließ Diana Ross die Plattenfirma Motown und unterschrieb einen Vertrag bei RCA. Bis 1987 veröffentlichte Diana Ross bei RCA insgesamt sechs Alben. Die hohen Erwartungen bezogen auf Verkaufszahlen konnte Diana Ross jedoch nicht erfüllen, ein Umstand, der möglicherweise mit entscheidend war, neues Glück bei ihrer alten Firma Motown zu wagen. Bei Motown hatte sich inzwischen vieles geändert, nachdem ihr Gründer Berry Gordy die Firma verkauft hatte. Während Diana Ross als Entertainerin bei vielen internationalen Tourneen und Auftritten große Erfolge feierte, sanken die Verkaufzahlen ihrer Platten/CDs zunehmend. Nur Großbritannien blieb ein beständiger Markt, dort erreichte ihr Album "One Woman - The Ultimate Collection" 1993 den Spitzenplatz in den Album Charts. Im selben Jahr erschien ihre Autobiografie "Secrets of a Sparrow".
 
Diana Ross war zweimal verheiratet. Aus der ersten Ehe mit Robert Silberstein hat sie zwei Töchter (Chudney und Tracee), aus der Ehe mit dem norwegischen Reeder Arne Naess (der im Januar 2004 bei einem Bergunfall in Südafrika tödlich verunglückte) hat sie zwei Söhne (Ross und Evan). Aus einer Verbindung mit Berry Gordy stammt die Tochter Rhonda.
 

Diana Ross - Motown Music Biography

In a remarkable career spanning over 40 years, Diana Ross has proven herself the consummate music artist as well as the most successful female singer of all time.

In the 1960s as lead singer of the pop group The Supremes, she achieved the unprecedented feat of fourteen consecutive number one hit records, rivaling The Beatles for the position of most successful recording act of that generation.

To the delight of her fans, both young and old, Ms. Ross is returning to her roots and embarking on a national tour with The Supremes, Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne. The "Return To Love" Tour gives Ms. Ross the chance to perform the songs that seduced and dazzled an entire generation since she left the group in 1970.

Diana Ross also has the distinction of being honored when the VH1 network salutes her with "VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross." Some of the acts paying tribute to this legend include Mariah Carey, Faith Hill and Donna Summer.
In 1970, Ms. Ross moved to a solo career and for two decades has continued to produce an endless stream of number one records and sell-out world concerts.

Her repertoire has covered popular music, the works of such diverse and legendary writers as Sam Cooke, Jules Stein, and Rogers & Hart, and when she made her film acting debut in 1972 portraying the late Billie Holiday in the film that won her an Academy Award nomination, "Lady Sings The Blues," she also showed her extraordinary gift for jazz performance.
Ms. Ross has also shared recordings with Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Julio Iglesias. Another duet, "Endless Love," with Lionel Richie topped the U.S. charts for nine weeks - one of the longest residencies at the top of the chart in the history of American music.

Diana Ross continues to break records and receive honors. In Japan, Ms. Ross is the biggest selling foreign artist of the past two years. In Britain - where she was invited to headline the Royal Command Performance appearing in front of Her Majesty The Queen - she has been recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful female artist of all time with over 70 hit singles to date. Her most recent album, "ONE WOMAN: The Ultimate Collection, released in the U.K., has gone triple platinum.

A special honor which Ms. Ross recently received was France's prestigious Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters, presented to her at the request of the country's Minister for Culture. An entire day of celebration during the international musical festival of Midem in Cannes, was dedicated to Ms. Ross. The achievements of Ms. Ross do not lie solely within the music industry. As well as being Oscar nominated for the motion picture "Lady Sings the Blues," she also went on to star in the popular feature films "Mahogany" and "The Wiz."
Through her own company, Anaid Film Productions Inc., Ms. Ross has executive produced her last five television specials for ABC, CBS, HBO and Showtime, including "Diana in Central Park" and "Diana!"

Ms. Ross has also entered into a production deal with the ABC Television Network in which she will produce made-for-television films. Ms. Ross made her dramatic television debut when she starred in the made for television movie, "Out of Darkness." Her stunning and inspired portrayal of a woman's personal battle with paranoia/schizophrenia aired on ABC Television as part of that network's prestigious "ABC Theater" presentations. Ms. Ross also produced the critically-acclaimed project.
She also stars in the ABC Television Movie "Double Platinum," and emotional story of a mother-daughter relationship that also features eight extraordinary musical numbers. Her co-star is the singer/actress Brandy.

In 1992, Ms. Ross starred in a special pay-per-view television event, entitled "Diana Ross Live... The Lady Sings." The program featured Ms. Ross performing jazz and blues and music that she loves, and was shot live from New York City in an intimate setting, evoking a smoky after-hours scene.

Also in 1992, at Christmas, Ms. Ross came together with two of the world's greatest tenors of the 20th Century: Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, and the three performed a special Christmas concert which was seen around the world. In 1993, "Diana Ross Live: Stolen Moments" was released. The successful "Take Me Higher" followed, and now her newest release is "Every Day is a New Day."

The past few years have proven to be exceptional for Ms. Ross, as she has celebrated her 30 years as a performing artist. A distinctive 30th Anniversary 4-CD commemorative Box Set album "Diana Ross The Ultimate Collection" was released, and Random House published the artist's very special and long-awaited memoirs, Secrets Of A Sparrow, authored by Ms. Ross herself.
In the summer of 1995, Ms. Ross traveled to Russia where she made her historic first performances live, to two sold-out audiences at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

In her continuing commitment to helping children, recently, Ms. Ross joined the board of directors of "A Better Chance," the oldest and only national program that provides a variety of educational opportunities to academically talented children. The organization, based in Boston, is best known for assisting inner city children in gaining access to the nation's top college prepatory schools.
In addition, Ms. Ross is spokesperson for National Children's Day, a day in which children have the opportunity to share their hopes and concerns with America's leaders.

With an amazing capacity to combine many different interests and with a seemingly tireless energy, Diana Ross continues to be a leading figure for each generation.