Diana Ross and the Supremes

diana ross and the supremes

Diana Ross

Diana Ross (born 1944), once the lead singer for the Motown
supergroup the Supremes, was the most successful female singer of the
Rock 'n' Roll era. In the next few decades, she continued to enjoy
success with a solo career and numerous television and film appearances.

Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She was
the second of six children of Fred and Ernestine Ross, who lived in
Brewster-Douglass, one of Detroit's low income housing districts.
While her family was active in the Baptist church choir, Diana learned
secular music from a cousin. She played baseball and took tap dance
and majorette lessons at Brewster Center.

At age 14 Ross tried out for a part in a school musical, but was
turned down. The brief failure turned into good fortune, as she was
invited to sing with the Primettes, a girls' vocal group that included
Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson among its members. She sang with the
Primettes throughout her high school years at Cass Technical High
School, where she took sewing and fashion design courses. The male
counterparts of the Primettes were called the Primes, and their
members included Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who would later
form part of the Motown superstar group the Temptations.

Yet another Motown superstar, Smokey Robinson, introduced Ross and the
Primettes at Motown Studios, where they visited frequently until they
met Motown producer Berry Gordy. Gordy instructed Ross and her friends
to finish high school and come back, which they did in 1962. Ross,
Ballard, and Wilson then signed a contract with Motown, and Ballard
selected a name for the group—the "Supremes"—a name which Ross disliked.

The Supremes released a number of singles and often sang background
vocals for Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells at local Detroit record hops.
"Let Me Go the Right Way" became the first Supremes song to register
on the national charts, and it enabled the group to join the touring
Motor Town Revue. "Where Did Our Love Go?" was their first national
number one hit, selling over two-million singles, and the Supremes
became the Revue's opening act. Ross' ambition and talent helped the
trio turn the fierce competition for recording songs at Motown in
their favor, and she became the group's lead singer.

The Supremes proceeded to lead Motown and its outstanding artists into
its heyday in the 1960s with a series of number one hits that included
"Baby Love" (1964), "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965), "Back in My
Arms Again" (1965) and "I Hear a Symphony" (1966). A popular
television group, the Supremes continued to skyrocket in popularity
along with the Motown label, and their principal songwriting
team—Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland—produced many
more of their number one songs, including "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
(1966), "You Can't Hurry Love" (1966), "Love Is Here and Now You're
Gone" (1967), and "The Happening" (1967).

Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, and the Supremes entered
their next phase with a new billing as Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Florence Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong, also in 1967. The
year 1968 brought "Love Child," yet another top hit, this one written
by themselves. By this time rumors had begun to circulate about Ross
leaving the group, and they reached their peak when her performance in
the 1969 television special "Like Hep" outdid co-stars Lucille Ball,
Dinah Shore, and comedians Rowan and Martin. Diana Ross' last single
with the group was, ironically, the number one hit "Someday, We'll Be
Together" (1969). Indeed, she began her solo career after their last
appearance together in January of 1970.

Things would only get better for Ross. Motown Records invested heavily
in her new career, which debuted with "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's
Hand)" (1970). Many changes began to take place in her personal life
as well. She had helped the Jackson 5 get its start with Motown with
her well-developed business acumen that she had learned from Berry
Gordy, and she had moved into her new Beverly Hills home. In 1971 Ross
was married to Robert Silberstein, a pop-music manager, with whom she
had three daughters— Rhonda, Tracee, and Chudney.

Diana Ross was cast as the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in the
Motown film production Lady Sings the Blues. Her critically acclaimed
performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for best actress.
In 1973 she returned to her customary position atop the national
record charts with "Touch Me in the Morning." Her next film was
Mahogany (1975), from which her "Theme From Mahogany" (1976) was
nominated for the Academy Awards' best song in a motion picture and
topped the record charts again. After her third daughter was born in
1975 she and Silberstein were divorced.

Ross' hit parade continued with the number one "Love Hangover" (1976).
She closed out the decade with a Broadway show entitled "An Evening
With Diana Ross" (1976-1977); a March 6, 1977, television special that
featured her alone; and a portrayal as Dorothy in Motown's film
production of the Broadway show The Wiz (1978).

Ross continued to perform in concerts, in Atlantic City and Las Vegas
casinos, and in charity functions. Her 1980 single "Upside Down" was
her 16th number one hit, a record surpassed only by the Beatles. She
moved to Connecticut with her three daughters and in 1985 married
Norwegian shipping tycoon Arne Naess, Jr. In 1989, Ross made a return
to Motown with a new album titled "Workin' Overtime", and in 1991
collaborated with Stevie Wonder and other artists to make "The Force
Behind the Power", a group of contemporary ballads. In January of
1994, she received critical acclaim for her role as a schizophrenic in
the ABC television movie Out of Darkness.

But tragedy marred Ross' new-found success in film in 1996 when her
brother, Arthur Ross, and his wife, Patricia Ann Robinson, were found
smothered to death on June 22, in Oak Park, Michigan. Ross and her
family put up a reward of $25,000 for any information leading to an
arrest. In September of 1996, two men, Ricky Brooks and Remel Howard,
were charged with the killings. Police had no motive at the time, only
to say that drugs were involved. "Like all survivors," quotes The
Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, "Ross has adapted well,
handling pop, soul, disco and rock masterfully." And as evident in a
recent interview with Ross and her daughters, she was handling her
life in that same fashion.


florence ballard



Florence Glenda Ballard was born June 30, 1943, in Rosetta, MS, but
before the age of ten, her family moved to Detroit to take advantage
of Detroit's booming job market. Florence built a reputation as a
singer by taking music classes and singing in her school choir. By 14,
she befriended the group the Primes (later to become the Temptations)
and performed gigs with the trio at various Detroit venues. The
Primes' manager, Milton Jenkins, encouraged Ballard to form a sister
group to the Primes, so she recruited Mary Wilson, Betty McGlown (soon
to be replaced with Barbara Martin), and Diane Earle (better known as
Diana Ross).

After a one-off record for Lupine Records as well as occasional
backing sessions for Motown, the Primettes signed to Motown, changed
their name to the Supremes, and Martin left, transforming the group
into a trio. After a series of flops, number one smashes became
automatic, the pace became frantic, and Motown muddied the water by
pushing Wilson and Ballard out of the limelight to spotlight on Ross.
Ballard didn't take the snub well, but the breaker came when she tired
of the relentless pace. She couldn't keep up, started drinking, and
subsequently missed gigs, causing her ejection from the group in 1967.
After filing a lawsuit over royalties, she married former Motown
chauffeur Thomas Chapman and through various connections inked
appeared to be a promising deal with ABC.

George Kerr produced her first single, "It Doesn't Matter How I Say
It," but radio play was almost nonexistent. She completed an album,
...You Don't Have To, which ABC left for dead and instead opted to
release the more commercial "Love Ain't Love," but let it languish.
Soon thereafter ABC soured on Ballard and didn't extend her contract.
The penthouse in Manhattan Ballard had purchased with her album
advance was let go and the birth of twins -- Michelle and Nicole --
added to financial problems. Ballard's lawsuit finally settled;
however, the lawyer took the moneys, forcing her to file a suit
against him. Conditions went from bad to abject; she lost her home and
suffered the humiliation of welfare and public housing. The couple had
another daughter in 1972, but the marriage was shaky with Ballard's
finances depleted. Chapman fooled around, became abusive, and
eventually left the family, which sent Ballard into a deep depression
that only alcohol and pills solaced. Finally, the second lawsuit
settled and she received a large settlement in 1975. Ballard cleaned
up and made another go at recapturing the stardom she once took for
granted. An appearance at Detroit's Ford Auditorium gave her a needed
boost; she reconciled with Chapman, purchased a new house, and
performed on television. But the melancholy years, fueled by chemicals
and alcohol, had weakened her system, causing a fatal cardiac arrest
on February 22, 1976. She was 32 years old. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All
Music Guide



the supremes as ed sullivan would say (the girls)

The girls recorded a number of songs for Motown, but they either flopped completely or went un-released. By the time they finally did get their first Top 40 hit, "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," (#23) in late 1963, The girls recorded a number of songs for Motown, but they either flopped completely or went un-released. By the time they finally did get their first Top 40 hit, "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," (#23) in late 1963, Diana Ross had taken over the lead singing for good. by Not all of the Supremes' singles went to number one, but they usually did well, and were written and produced with enough variety (but enough of a signature sound) to ensure continual interest. The chart-topping "You Keep Me Hangin' On" became one of the best of their mid-period hits.
Berry Gordy was still undecided about the group, but with the encouragement of Smokey Robinson, the girls were signed to the label in January 1961. One of the first things Gordy wanted changed was the quartet's name and gave them a list from which to choose one. Florence chose the Supremes. Diana hated it, saying it sounded too male, but the other three over ruled her andthe name stuck. Together with The Supremes, The Temptations and the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson—with the Miracles and on his own as a composer, producer and hit-maker—was a powerful and influential creative force alongside Motown's visionary Berry Gordy.


The girls recorded a number of songs for Motown, but they either flopped completely or went un-released. By the time they finally did get their first Top 40 hit, "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," (#23) in late 1963, Diana Ross had taken over the lead singing for good.

diana ross in the hall of fame

In 1988, the Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, although Diana didn't show up for the ceremony. Forever Diana, a four-disc retrospective, was released in October of 1993. That same year, Diana's autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow, was published, and she made her TV movie debut in Out of Darkness. Diana's 1995 album Take Me Higher failed to produce any major hits; nor did her 1999 release, Every Day Is a New Day. She co-starred with Brandy in the ABC TV movie Double Platinum (1999), and released the album Gift of Love in 2000. That same year, she embarked on a reunion tour with "The Supremes," although neither of the other two vocaIists were original group members. The tour was abruptly canceled after less than a dozen performances.




Diana Ross makes it sound so simple. "I really, deeply believe that dreams do come true," the international entertainment icon has said, while also believing that "you can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream-you've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.