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Diana Ross

DIANA ROSS
 
 
Diana Ross  (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, actress, record producer and an occasional songwriter.  Born and raised in Detroit, she rose to fame as a founding member and lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes.  Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross released her debut solo album, Diana Ross, which contained the hits “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” and the #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.  Ross also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominated performance in Lady Sings the Blues (1972).  Ross was named the “Female Entertainer of the Century” by Billboard magazine.  Ross has sold more than 100 million records worldwide when her releases with the Supremes and as a solo artist are tallied.  She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Some great music came out of the disco era, without a doubt.  One of the great voices in soul music, Lou Rawls had his biggest hit song with the disco-flavored “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”.  He was hardly the only 1970’s artist to retool their sound to a disco feel:  The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Blondie, and even Pink Floyd are examples, but no one made it bigger than the Bee Gees in their Saturday Night Fever heyday. 
 
(March 2012)
 
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Although nothing at all is said about the Silverbird band on any of these websites, J. Reuben Silverbird has performed with Diana Ross and Eartha Kitt and has also given numerous solo performances on Native American flute, guitar and percussive instruments, playing his own compositions. 

 

(August 2013)

 

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In addition to Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart, there are a host of Wilsons who have made popular music over the years.  The Beach Boys – “America’s band” according to no less than President Ronald Reagan (whose middle name is Wilson, come to think of it) – was founded in 1961 by Brian Wilson, his brothers Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson, and their cousin Mike Love; Al Jardine was the one original bandmember not in the family.  Another Nancy Wilson is a top-notch jazz vocalist who started in the 1960’s and frequently crossed over to the R&B and rock charts.  Mary Wilson was one of the founding members of the Supremes; the story of the other bandmembers being eclipsed by lead singer Diana Ross formed the main storyline for the Broadway musical Dreamgirls that later made Jennifer Hudson a star in the film version, Dreamgirls.  Then there are R&B singers Jackie Wilson and Wilson Pickett, country star Gretchen Wilson, comedian and chef Justin Wilson, and many others. 

 

(November 2013)