Diana Ross Biography

By Ana Rivera
if I have someone who believes in me I can move mountains -

Diana Ross

Diana ross was born on march 26 , 1944 in detroit ,michigan. This singer and actress is a very accomplished performer, Diana began singing as a teenager in a group with friends Mary Wilson , Florence Ballard , and Barbara Martin. Barbara Martin eventually dropped out , but the remaining members of the group on to become an internationally succesful 1960s R&B and pop trio , The Supremes ( which was later named diana ross and the Supremes). Signed to Motown Records by famed record producer and label founder Berry Gordy, Jr., in 1961, the Supremes scored its first number one hit with the song "Where Did Our Love Go?" (1964).In all the trio scored 12 number one hits , including Stop! In the name of Love(1965) and Someday we will be Together(1969). Ross left the Supremes for a solo career in that same year of 1969 and hit the charts the next year with the songs Reach Out and Touch Somebody s Hand and Aint No Mountain High Enough. In 1972, she branched out into acting with the Billie Holiday biographical motion picture Lady sings the blues. While the film received mixed reviews, Rosss performance garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The soundtrack for the film was a huge succes and helped spurn on new interests in Holiday. Ross went on to star in several more films , including Mahogany(1975) and The Wiz(1978).

The next decade started on a strong note with her album Diana(1980), which contained the hits Upside Down and Im Coming Out. With her new record label MCA, she recorded muscles (1982) written by Michael Jackson, which did well on the charts. Though later on the decade her sales began to fall. Still she continued to record and perform and returned to motown records near the end of the 1980s. Back with the label that started her career, she achieved some succes with The Force Behind The Power( 1991). In the 1990s, she made several appearences on the small screen. She started in a television movie called Out Of Darkness in 1994 playing a woman who had schizophrenia. Ross took on a less challenging movies with Double Platinum in 1999, another television movie. She started as a famous singer who abandoned her daughter to pursue her dreams. Brandy a, a well known pop performer played, her daughter. Some of the songs were featured in her album Every Day is a New Day in 1999. Around this time Diana experienced some difficulties. She got into a dispute with a security in 1999 at Londons Heathrow airport and a result was arrested and detained for several hours before being released. The next year she was arrested for driving under the influence and later convicted. Also in 2000, diana launched a Supremes tour, which was highly criticized for not including original member

Mary Wilson or later addition Cindy Birdsong. After experiencing some problems, the tour was cancelled. In 2007 , Diana suffered a great personal loss. Her father, Fred Ross, had passed away in November of that year. He touched many lifes and will truly be missed Diana stated. On tour at that time, she returned home to Detroit to be with her family. A few weeks after her fathers death Diana was honored by the Kennedy Center for her contributions to the art. Smokey Robinson and actor Terrance Howardwere on hand to provide tributes to the singing superstar, and Ciara,Vanessa Williams, and , Jordin Sparks paid homage to Ross in a song. Ross has been married twice: once in 1971 she married music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, and after their divorce she married Norwegian tycoon Arne Naess jr. in 1986. She split with Naess in 1999. Diana is the mother of five children: Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein, Tracee Joy Silberstein , Chudney Lane Silberstein ,Ross Arne Naess, and Evan Olav Naess. Despite the ups and downs in Dianas life she withstood the test of time as a performer with a career that spans more than four decades. She has won several major awards , including a Golden Globe , A Tony Award , and several American Music Awards. Diana was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1988 as part of

the Supremes. She continues to delight her fans with new recordings, such as 2006s, I Love You , a collection of love songs. She was awarded for her hard work again in 2007 , when she was presented with Black Entertainment Televisions Lifetime Achievement Award and a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Honors Award. In 2009, Ross jumped back into the limelight when pop icon Michael Jackson named the diva as an alternate guardian for his children. I definitely admire Diana Ross. Even thought she has had a lot of ups and downs in her life she knows to stand up for herself, like the time when she got dispute with a security in 1999 at Londons Heathrow airport and then was arrested for that cause. After this and many other tragedies including the death of her father in 2007 Fred ross. Diana Ross is connected to me in many ways . for example my sister (Maria Soledad) wants to be an actress and she has been to the best schools and all but it is still hard for her and i know it will get harder before it gets better. As I went throught this biography again I can see many of the great lessons that it can teach us. Somethings that I have learned from this biography is that when you fall you must stand up and keep going and also that when you have a goal just because something doesnt work the way you wanted you shoudnt give up on it. I would classify Diana Ross as a strong independent woman who doesnt give up on her

dreams and her goals she keeps trying and trying until she makes it. I would also classify her has an amazing singer and actress who has done the impossible in the blink of an eye like many few people at that time and is still recognized over the years with many admirance. At this time many of my friends dont know who she was and I think that is a disgrace because a legend like Diana Ross should be recognized not forgotten. Finally Diana Ross is and always will be one of my favorite singer in fact my favorite song is If We Hold On Together I love the meaning and everything about it is very peaceful.