Archived // Cover Story
ENDLESS ROSS...
By: Mimi Makabi
By: Mimi Makabi
music history of the late 20th century—something affirmed when in 1993 The Guinness Book of Records jointly awarded her with its Lifetime Achievement Award and the title of 'most successful female vocalist of all time.’ Her citation noted, "There are no direct contenders for Miss Ross's award." She is also one of the few artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - one as a solo artist and the other as a member of The Supremes.
And even today, some four decades after she first reached the No.1 position in both the US and UK charts with "Where Did Our Love Go" (the first of a number of consecutive no.1 hits in the US), Ross is still receiving awards and accolades. She has received The Soul Train Legend Award, the French Commander des Lettres medal, and was honored with an entire day of celebration at the international MIDEM music festival in the South of France, becoming the only woman to receive such an honor in the 25 year history of the event. She was again honored in France when she received the Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris (City of Paris Medal), the city's highest award, given to those who have played a positive role in favor of the Parisian community.
In Britain, she was invited to headline the Royal Command Performance appearing in front of Her Majesty, The Queen. At the invitation of President Nelson Mandela, in efforts to support his children’s fund, Ross made her first concert appearance in South Africa at the opening of the newly built Sundome arena. President Mandela referred to her as "someone who always seems to be running, never walking, she is an inspiration to us all.”
In 2004, McNally Smith College of Music honored her by the establishment of a full four year scholarship in her name. The Diana Ross Performance Scholarship is awarded each year to an outstanding student who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree.
The achievements of Ross do not lie solely within the music industry. Outside of her recording career, her achievements are many. As well as being Oscar nominated for her role as the late Billie Holiday in the 1972 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., Ross has executive produced her last five television specials for ABC, CBS, HBO and Showtime, including "Diana in Central Park" and "Diana!"
To the delight of her fans, both young and old, Diana Ross recently returned to live concerts, with a sold-out tour in the UK and Europe. Featuring songs from her new Manhattan/EMI Music Marketing studio album, “I Love You,” as well as other solo hits and Supremes classics—her silky voice is ever present as she performs the songs that seduced and dazzled an entire generation.
“I Love You,” her newest—and amazingly, almost 60th—album serves as a testament to love in all its forms. Featuring some of the greatest love songs of all time, or at least Ross’s personally inspiring faves that have touched her heart through the years—she has dedicated the album to this most powerful universal emotion: love. "For me, every song on my new album is a positive affirmation of a message I want to bring with the concerts, too," Ross said.
The album’s co-executive producer, Marylata E. Jacob, a Grammy-nominated music supervisor and producer whose professional relationship with Ms. Ross spans 22 years, explains, “We wanted to create the quintessential album to be played at celebrations of love and life: weddings, family gatherings, intimate moments.” She continues, “‘I Love
You’ is Diana’s personal offering to honor these celebrations of love, from the glance of your first true love, through the joy of children, and love everlasting.” Ross goes on to remind us, “It’s time to say ‘I Love You.’ We must remember love in the past, nurture it in the present, and dream of it in the future.”
Awards and accolades aside, she is also conscious of the struggle to make the world a better place, championing many causes, especially those concerned with children. She was spokesperson for National Children's Day, for which she testified before congress, and is also on the board of A Better Chance (ABC), the only national program that recruits and places academically talented inner-city children in the nation's best preparatory schools.
Ross has raised and continues to raise millions of dollars for the numerous charities to which she lends her name. Her efforts have earned her much deserved recognition as a woman of strength, integrity and above-all, concern. On November 17, 2007, she will perform at the Associates for Breast and Prostate Cancer Studies (ABC’S) 18th Annual Black Tie Gala, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
From the young girl who sat hopefully on the steps of Hitsville, Motown's humble Detroit headquarters, to the world legend she has become, the constants in Diana Ross's life have been belief in herself and belief in others, with the rare ability to share her experience and advantages. Ross states, "I love life fiercely, desperately. I've always had a gift of seeing the good bits. I've had lots of fun. It has been wonderful. I've also had many struggles, inward and outward, being a mother, a wife, a feminist. The complexity of being a black and female performer, having my own business, being strong and decisive, sometimes being sad and afraid...” She continues, "But at the same time, singing has opened up a world touched by wonder...a world of possibility."
It is that love of life, that never-ending wonder, the appreciation of goals and achievements and sheer human spirit which defines the artist that is Diana Ross and continues to make her one of the most identifiable, unique, beloved and influential singers of successive pop generations.
“Success takes many forms. This is a HUGE HONOR. To take a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson... ‘To have the love and affection of my children; To win the respect of intelligent people; To earn the appreciation of honest critics; To appreciate beauty and laugh a lot; To find the best in others and to be able to leave the world in a better place; To know that even one life has been changed by the journey I have traveled. This to me means that I have succeeded’.” Diana Ross
And even today, some four decades after she first reached the No.1 position in both the US and UK charts with "Where Did Our Love Go" (the first of a number of consecutive no.1 hits in the US), Ross is still receiving awards and accolades. She has received The Soul Train Legend Award, the French Commander des Lettres medal, and was honored with an entire day of celebration at the international MIDEM music festival in the South of France, becoming the only woman to receive such an honor in the 25 year history of the event. She was again honored in France when she received the Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris (City of Paris Medal), the city's highest award, given to those who have played a positive role in favor of the Parisian community.
In Britain, she was invited to headline the Royal Command Performance appearing in front of Her Majesty, The Queen. At the invitation of President Nelson Mandela, in efforts to support his children’s fund, Ross made her first concert appearance in South Africa at the opening of the newly built Sundome arena. President Mandela referred to her as "someone who always seems to be running, never walking, she is an inspiration to us all.”
In 2004, McNally Smith College of Music honored her by the establishment of a full four year scholarship in her name. The Diana Ross Performance Scholarship is awarded each year to an outstanding student who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree.
The achievements of Ross do not lie solely within the music industry. Outside of her recording career, her achievements are many. As well as being Oscar nominated for her role as the late Billie Holiday in the 1972 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., Ross has executive produced her last five television specials for ABC, CBS, HBO and Showtime, including "Diana in Central Park" and "Diana!"
To the delight of her fans, both young and old, Diana Ross recently returned to live concerts, with a sold-out tour in the UK and Europe. Featuring songs from her new Manhattan/EMI Music Marketing studio album, “I Love You,” as well as other solo hits and Supremes classics—her silky voice is ever present as she performs the songs that seduced and dazzled an entire generation.
“I Love You,” her newest—and amazingly, almost 60th—album serves as a testament to love in all its forms. Featuring some of the greatest love songs of all time, or at least Ross’s personally inspiring faves that have touched her heart through the years—she has dedicated the album to this most powerful universal emotion: love. "For me, every song on my new album is a positive affirmation of a message I want to bring with the concerts, too," Ross said.
The album’s co-executive producer, Marylata E. Jacob, a Grammy-nominated music supervisor and producer whose professional relationship with Ms. Ross spans 22 years, explains, “We wanted to create the quintessential album to be played at celebrations of love and life: weddings, family gatherings, intimate moments.” She continues, “‘I Love
You’ is Diana’s personal offering to honor these celebrations of love, from the glance of your first true love, through the joy of children, and love everlasting.” Ross goes on to remind us, “It’s time to say ‘I Love You.’ We must remember love in the past, nurture it in the present, and dream of it in the future.”
Awards and accolades aside, she is also conscious of the struggle to make the world a better place, championing many causes, especially those concerned with children. She was spokesperson for National Children's Day, for which she testified before congress, and is also on the board of A Better Chance (ABC), the only national program that recruits and places academically talented inner-city children in the nation's best preparatory schools.
Ross has raised and continues to raise millions of dollars for the numerous charities to which she lends her name. Her efforts have earned her much deserved recognition as a woman of strength, integrity and above-all, concern. On November 17, 2007, she will perform at the Associates for Breast and Prostate Cancer Studies (ABC’S) 18th Annual Black Tie Gala, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
From the young girl who sat hopefully on the steps of Hitsville, Motown's humble Detroit headquarters, to the world legend she has become, the constants in Diana Ross's life have been belief in herself and belief in others, with the rare ability to share her experience and advantages. Ross states, "I love life fiercely, desperately. I've always had a gift of seeing the good bits. I've had lots of fun. It has been wonderful. I've also had many struggles, inward and outward, being a mother, a wife, a feminist. The complexity of being a black and female performer, having my own business, being strong and decisive, sometimes being sad and afraid...” She continues, "But at the same time, singing has opened up a world touched by wonder...a world of possibility."
It is that love of life, that never-ending wonder, the appreciation of goals and achievements and sheer human spirit which defines the artist that is Diana Ross and continues to make her one of the most identifiable, unique, beloved and influential singers of successive pop generations.
“Success takes many forms. This is a HUGE HONOR. To take a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson... ‘To have the love and affection of my children; To win the respect of intelligent people; To earn the appreciation of honest critics; To appreciate beauty and laugh a lot; To find the best in others and to be able to leave the world in a better place; To know that even one life has been changed by the journey I have traveled. This to me means that I have succeeded’.” Diana Ross
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CONTACT@CELEBRITYSOCIETY.COM | 310.859.6654