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Cx1DJs We Do Things Different Podcast "Untold Stories of Dian Ross" hosted by DJButterrock
Diana Ross (American English: /daɪˈænə ˈrɑːs/; UK: /ˈrɒs/; born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history,[2] with a total of 12 number-one pop singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo career with the release of her eponymous debut solo album. Between 1972 and 1980, Ross recorded four top ten albums with her most successful studio release being the album Diana. In a fifteen-year span, Ross recorded twelve top ten singles with six — "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Touch Me in the Morning", "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", "Love Hangover", "Upside Down" and "Endless Love" — topping the Billboard Hot 100, making her the female solo act with the most number-one songs in the United States at the time. Ross achieved international success with later songs such as "I'm Coming Out", "Chain Reaction", "If We Hold on Together", and "When You Tell Me That You Love Me".

Ross has also achieved mainstream success and recognition as an actress. Her first role was her Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Billie Holiday in the film Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which made her the first African-American actress to receive an Academy Award nomination for a debut film performance. The film's soundtrack became her only solo album to reach number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. She also starred in two other feature films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978), and later appeared in the television films Out of Darkness (1994), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and Double Platinum (1999).

Ross was named the "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard in 1976. Since her solo career began in 1970, Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide.[3] Between 1964 and 1981, Ross sang on eighteen number one US singles. In 2021, Billboard ranked her the 30th greatest charting artist of all time on the Billboard Hot 100.[4][5] Her hits as a Supreme and a solo artist combined put Ross among the top-five artists on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from 1955 to 2018.[6] She has scored a top 75 U.K. hit single for a record 33 consecutive years (1964–1996). In 1988, Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes, and is one of the rare performers to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is the recipient of a Special Tony Award in 1977, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and 2023 (becoming the first woman to win the award twice, the latter as a member of the Supremes), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

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Cx1DJs We Do Things Different Podcast "Untold Stories of Luther Vandross" hosted by DJButterrock Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (/ˈvændroʊs/ VAN-drohss; April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 25 million records worldwide.[1] Vandross was recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023)[2] and was named one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard.[3] NPR also included him among its 50 Great Voices. He won eight Grammy Awards,[4] including Song of the Year in 2004 for "Dance with My Father".[5] He has been inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[6][7]

Vandross began his music career in the late 1960s performing at the Apollo Theater in New York City as part of a local musical ensemble. The group later appeared on the television show Sesame Street in the early 1970s. He eventually established himself as a sought-after backing vocalist, contributing to albums by Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Todd Rundgren, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, Stevie Wonder, Laura Branigan, Donna Summer, and Roxy Music. In 1980, he served as the lead vocalist for the post-disco group Change on their Gold-certified album The Glow of Love, released on Warner/RFC Records.

After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981. In 1982, he was credited as the primary producer on Aretha Franklin's album Jump to it, which topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart. His hit songs include "Never Too Much", "Here and Now", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power", "I Can Make It Better", and "For You to Love". He also recorded several covers of songs originally performed by other artists, including "A House Is Not a Home", "Since I Lost My Baby", "Superstar", "I (Who Have Nothing)", and "Always and Forever".

Vandross collaborated on several notable duets, including "The Closer I Get to You" with Beyoncé, "Endless Love" with Mariah Carey, and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Janet Jackson of which the latter two were hit songs in his career. The tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross was released shortly after his death. In 2024, Kendrick Lamar and SZA released the chart-topping single "Luther", paying homage to Vandross and sampling his rendition of "If This World Were Mine", a duet with Cheryl Lynn.[8] In January of that same year, he was the subject of the documentary Luther: Never Too Much, which chronicles his life, career, and legacy. In 2026, Vandross was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[9][10]

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