- over 100 million records sold
- named "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard Magazine in 1976
- 18 #1 singles in the United States
- most successful female music artist in history as per the 1993 Guinness Book of World Records
- The original American pop diva

Diana Ross

This is a BPA pick that's heavily influenced by the R&B side of my label. Diana might be the most iconic diva in pop music history and tbh I'm kinda shocked she's still available. Regardless, there is no way I can pass on her here and I'm excited to pick her in round 6.

First coming to prominence with The Supremes in the early 60s, while still in her teens, the lead vocal talents of Ross propelled the all-female group to unprecedented success. For a time in the mid 60's, the worldwide popularity of The Supremes rivaled The Beatles; their 12 #1 singles on the Billboard Top 100 still makes them America's most successful vocal group ever. Ross was an extremely influential figure in the advancement of female African American R&B musicians during the era, breaking down barriers and paving the way for future superstar divas such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. In fact, a very strong argument can be made that without Diana Ross, we probably don't see the emergence of the aforementioned artists and others.

Ross left the Supremes in 1970 to pursue a solo career under advice from Motown executives. The move paid dividends for Ross, as she charted 5 more #1 singles during the decade and also delivered an Acadamy Award-nominated performace as the lead actress in the 1972 undrafted biopic Lady Sings the Blues (the subsequent soundtrack reached #1 in the US). Her final #1 single with Motown Records came in the form of a duet in 1981 with another undrafted star; the song "Endless Love" will forever be remembered as the basis for turning point of the relationship between Happy Gilmour and Virginia Venit.

More stuff happens after this I guess...notably, Ross leaves Motown in 1981 and signs a $20 million deal with RCA (the most lucrative contract in music history at the time), she throws one of the biggest free concerts in history at Central Park in 1983 with over 500,000 people showing up...she does some coke during the 80s...does a lot of coke during the 80s...yada yada yada, I'm tired.

Sorry, this writeup had a lot of promise but I need to fall asleep very soon. Basically, Diana Ross is an incredible talent and she's a friggin' steal in the 6th round. I can't wait for her collaborations with Stevie and Smokey. Plus, now I've locked down my marquee female lead talent. R&B + Rock = ship the sauce.

Geddy Lee Records:

- Stevie Wonder
- Pete Townshend
- John Paul Jones
- Smokey Robinson
- Jeff Beck
- Diana Ross