Diana Ross Fact Sheet: Who was Diana Ross? The following short biography and fact sheet provides interesting facts about the life, times and history of Diana Ross.

Diana Ross Fact File: 1944 - Present *** Full Name: Diane Ernestine Earle Ross *** Occupation: American Singer, Actress and Record Producer *** Date of Birth: Diana Ross was born on March 26th 1944 *** Place of Birth: Diana Ross was born at Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. *** Family background: Her father was Fred Ross, Sr and her mother was Ernestine Moten. Her mother had been a school teacher and her father had been in the military. As a young child of seven years, her mother contracted tuberculosis and after living with other family members in Alabama the children were reunited with their mother fully recovered *** Early life and childhood: She grew up as the second eldest child with five siblings in the Brewster-Douglas housing projects *** Education: Diana Ross attended Cass Technical High School ***

Diana Ross Fact 1: Diana Ross was born on March 26th 1944 and during the 20th century period in history when so many wonderful and terrible events shaped a New World. World War I and World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War but also such marvels as advances in medicine, technology, travel, the expansion of car travel and air travel and a massive change within the industry of entertainment.

Diana Ross Fact 2: As a teenage girl she had dreams of working as a fashion designer and took classes teaching millinery, pattern-marking and seamstress skills.

Diana Ross Fact 3: When she was fifteen she joined the Primettes who were the sister equivalent to a male vocal group who called themselves the Primes. Diana’s other group members included Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown.

Diana Ross Fact 4: In 1960 the girls auditioned for Motown Records and as Berry Gordy was passing on his way to meeting he heard Diana's voice and when to investigate. Having heard the girls were so young he suggested they came back after graduation.

Diana Ross Fact 5: They began doing background vocals and hand claps providing extra help at Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters. At that time McGlown left the group and was replaced by Barbara Martin.

Diana Ross Fact 6: By January 1961 Gordy finally agreed to sign them but only if they changed their name. The name Supremes was chosen although Diana did not like the name. The following year Barbara Martin left and the quartet became a trio.

Diana Ross Fact 7: With all the girls sharing the vocals Gordy decided he wanted Diana to sing lead vocal.

Diana Ross Fact 8: In 1963 the girls had the first hit with “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” and shortly after that their first number one hit with “Where Did Our Love Go”.

Diana Ross Fact 9: Between 1964 and 1967 the girls sang on no less than ten number one hit singles that also reached the top 40 in the UK.

Diana Ross Fact 10: Gordy was working Ross very hard and more and more often in a solo capacity so that by the end of 1969 he had planned for Ross to be a solo artist. He also wanted Ross, as a solo artist, to introduce the Jackson 5 as if she had discovered them herself, which she always maintained she hadn’t.

Diana Ross Fact 11: On January 14th 1970 Diana Ross gave her last performance as part of the Supremes in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Frontier Hotel.

Diana Ross Fact 12: By May of 1970 she was releasing her debut solo album which would include what would become her signature songs “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”.

Diana Ross Fact 13: Her first UK number one single would be “I’m Still Waiting” released in 1971 and she also started in own television show which would include the Jackson 5.

Diana Ross Fact 14: Between 1972 and 1999 Diana was involved in various movie projects and stared in Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, The Wiz, Out of Darkness and Double Platinum.

Diana Ross Fact 15: By 1980 having made Berry Gordy’s label millions of dollars she only had three hundred thousand to her name. She decided to perhaps change record labels and approached RCA Records who offered her a twenty million dollar deal. She gave Gordy the chance to match it and he said he couldn’t do it.

Diana Ross Fact 16: With her career waning, by 1988 she was talking to Gordy about returning to Motown and this time Gordy offered her shares and a partnership in the label, she accepted.

Diana Ross Fact 17: In 1991 she was asked to headline the Royal Variety Performance in front of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Diana Ross Fact 18: She continued to make headline performances but her albums were just not hitting the charts as they had done earlier in her career.

Diana Ross Fact 19: In 1999 she would be named the United Kingdom’s most successful female artist in its history.

Diana Ross Fact 20: Over the last decade Diana Ross been the recipient of various awards and continued to tour.

Influence & Legacy: In 1994 the Supremes was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Diana herself has been an influential artist to such rising stars as Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, the Three Degrees and Destiny’s Child to name a few. Her life has also be the subject of the big screen in the making of the movie Dreamgirls staring Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles as well as Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover and Jennifer Hudson.