Diana Ross (with Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard)

Diana Ross (born 1944) achieved international stardom as the lead singer of the Supremes. With songs such as "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Stop! In the Name of Love," the Supremes became the most successful female group in pop music history; during the 1960s, only the Beatles sold more records. Bruce Davidson's photograph pictures Ross in 1965 in Detroit's Motown Records studio between the other two members of the famous singing trio-Mary Wilson (left) and Florence Ballard (right). Described as a "total entertainer," Ross electrified audiences with a voice that could put "swerves into the most unsupple lyrics." In 1970 she left the group to pursue a solo career as a singer and an actress. Ross's portrayal of singer Billie Holiday in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, received a Best Actress Oscar nomination.