background	solo_singer
birth name	Diana Ernestine Earle Ross
birth date	March 26, 1944
origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
genre	R&B;, soul, disco, jazz, pop, dance
occupation	Singer, record producer, actress
years active	1959–present
label	Lu Pine, Motown, RCA, EMI
associated acts	The Supremes, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie
website	www.dianaross.com }}

Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, record producer, and actress.

Diana Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that has included successful ventures into film and Broadway. She received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as Billie Holiday in ''Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972), for which she won a Golden Globe award. She has won seven American Music Awards, was honored with a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and won a Tony Award for her one-woman show, ''An Evening with Diana Ross'', in 1977.

In 1976, ''Billboard'' magazine named her the "Female Entertainer of the Century." In 1993, the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' declared Diana Ross the most successful female music artist in history due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts with a career total of 18 number one records in the United States. Diana Ross has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Ross is one of the few recording 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. In December 2007, she received a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Honors Award.

Early life

Diana Ross, the daughter of Ernestine (née Moten) (January 27, 1916October 9, 1984), a schoolteacher, and Fred Ross, Sr. (July 4, 1920November 21, 2007), a former United States Army soldier, was born at Hutzel Women's Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Ross said that she did not see her father until he returned from serving in World War II. Much has been made of whether her first name ends in an "a" or an "e". According to Ross, her mother actually named her "Diane" but a clerical error resulted in her name being recorded as "Diana" on her birth certificate. She always went by "Diane" at home and at school. Her high school yearbook listed her as "Diana" and as early as 1963, when The Supremes released their first album, she was listed in the liner notes as "Diana". At The Supremes' first Copacabana engagement in 1965, she introduced herself to the audience as "Diane", but later that year she started introducing herself as "Diana". Her intimates still call her "Diane".

After living on Belmont Road in Detroit's North End for several years, Ross's family settled on St. Antoine Street in the Brewster-Douglass housing projects on Ross' fourteenth birthday in 1958. Ross aspired to be a fashion designer, and studied design, millinery, pattern-making and seamstress skills while attending Cass Technical High School, a four-year college preparatory magnet school, in downtown Detroit. In her late teens, Ross worked at Hudson's Department Store where, it was claimed in biographies, that she was the first black employee "allowed outside the kitchen". Ross graduated in January 1962, one semester earlier than her classmates. Ross' parents had a difficult marriage and separated when Ross was still in her teens.

Career

The Supremes: 1959–1970

In 1959, Ross was brought to the attention of Milton Jenkins, the manager of the local doo-wop group The Primes, by Mary Wilson. Primes member Paul Williams convinced Jenkins to enlist Ross in the sister group The Primettes, which included Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown. Ross, Wilson and Ballard each sang lead during live performances. In 1960, Lu Pine Records signed the group and issued the Ross-led single "Tears of Sorrow" backed with the Wilson-led "Pretty Baby". After winning a singing contest in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ross approached former neighbor Smokey Robinson for an audition at the label with which he recorded, Motown Records. The group garnered the audition and impressed Motown's CEO, Berry Gordy (who arrived at the audition during the group's performance), but declined to work with the group due to their being underaged. Undeterred, the group would stand outside the label's Hitsville U.S.A. studios hoping to grab attention, eventually providing backing vocals & hand claps for many of Motown's more established artists. Meanwhile during the group's struggling early years, Ross earned pay in the day as Berry Gordy's secretary. She also served at the group's main hair stylist, make-up artist, seamstress & costume designer during this period.

In 1961, having already replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the quartet signed with Motown Records under their new moniker, ''The Supremes'', chosen by Florence Ballard, who was the only member to be present when the group was offered a name change. Both Ross and Wilson initially disliked the name, afraid they would be mistaken for a men's group (Ruby & the Romantics' original name was The Supremes) but the name stuck regardless.

Following Martin's exit in 1962, the group remained a trio. In 1963, Ross became the group's lead singer, as Berry Gordy felt the group could "cross over" to the pop charts with Ross' unique vocal quality, and the Ross-led "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" became the group's first Billboard Top 40 Pop single. The Supremes hit number one with "Where Did Our Love Go", a song rejected by The Marvelettes, and then achieved unprecedented success: between August 1964 and May 1967, Ross, Wilson and Ballard sang on ten number-one hit singles, all of which also made the United Kingdom Top 40.

Gordy removed Florence Ballard from the group in July 1967 and chose Cindy Birdsong, a member of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, as her replacement. At about the same time, he changed the group's name to Diana Ross & the Supremes.

Motown initially conceived of a solo career for Diana Ross in 1966, but did not act on it until 1968. Television specials such as ''TCB'' (1968) and ''G.I.T. on Broadway'' (1969) were designed to spotlight her as a star in her own right, and much of the later Ross-led Supremes material was recorded by Ross with session singers The Andantes, not Wilson and Birdsong, on backing vocals. By the summer of 1969, Ross began her first solo recordings. In November of the same year, three years after it was first rumored, ''Billboard'' magazine confirmed Ross's departure from the group to begin her solo career. That same year, Ross introduced Motown's newest act, The Jackson 5, to national audiences on the Hollywood Palace television variety program.

Ross recorded her initial solo sessions with a number of producers, including Bones Howe and Johnny Bristol. Her first track with Bristol, "Someday We'll Be Together", was tagged as a potential solo single, but it instead was issued as the final Diana Ross & the Supremes release. "Someday We'll Be Together" was the 12th and final number-one hit for the Supremes and the last American number-one hit of the 1960s. Ross made her final appearance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970.

Early solo career: 1970–1981

After a half-year of recording material with various producers, Ross settled with the production team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the creative force behind Marvin Gaye's and Tammi Terrell's hit duets and Diana Ross & the Supremes' "Some Things You Never Get Used To". Ashford and Simpson helmed most of Ross's first album, ''Diana Ross'', and continued to write and produce for her for the next decade. In May 1970, ''Diana Ross'' was released on Motown. The first single, the gospel-influenced waltz, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, a fully rearranged cover of Gaye's and Terrell's 1967 hit, and another Ashford and Simpson composition, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", was an international hit, and gave Ross her first #1 pop single and gold record award as a solo artist. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. In 1971, Motown released Ross's second album ''Everything Is Everything'', which produced Ross's first UK number-one solo single, "I'm Still Waiting". Several months later, Ross released ''Surrender'', which included the top-20 pop hit, "Remember Me". That year, she hosted her first solo television special, ''Diana!'', featuring guest appearances by The Jackson 5, Bill Cosby and Danny Thomas.

In 1973 Ross returned to number-one with the single "Touch Me in the Morning". The album of the same name became her first top five charted pop release. Later that same year, Ross and fellow Motown star Marvin Gaye released a duet album, ''Diana & Marvin''. The duo scored an international hit with their cover of The Stylistics' "You Are Everything". Also in 1973, she was the first entertainer in Japan's history to receive an invitation to the Imperial Palace for a private audience with the Empress Nagako, wife of Emperor Hirohito.

Ross' 1974 follow-up album, ''Last Time I Saw Him'', wasn't as successful despite the success of its country-tinged title track. Two years later Ross ventured into disco with "Love Hangover", which returned her to number-one. The self-titled parent album became another top five hit and included her previous number-one, the movie theme, "Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme from Mahogany)". Ross' subsequent follow-ups, including ''Baby It's Me'' (1977) and ''Ross'' (1978) fell off the charts soon after they appeared. Ross did have success with her first Broadway one-woman show, ''An Evening with Diana Ross''. Her performance later won her a Tony. She was featured in TV special with the same name.

In 1979 Ross hired former collaborators Ashford & Simpson, who had left Motown in 1973 due to contractual issues with Berry Gordy, to overlook the production of her next album, ''The Boss''. That album produced the hit title track and the modestly successful "It's My House". Ross' working relationship with Berry Gordy had deteriorated at that point as Gordy refused to be an executive producer of the project. In 1980, Ross hired Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group CHIC to overlook production of her final contractual Motown album, ''diana''. That album led to major success with "Upside Down" returning Ross to number-one on the pop charts for the first time since "Love Hangover". Its follow-up, "I'm Coming Out", was as successful and both songs found major success overseas.

In 1981, Ross decided not to renew her Motown contract only to discover that everything she thought she had owned was only leased to her by Berry Gordy. Ross accepted a $20 million deal with RCA in 1981, then the most lucrative contract in music. To complete contractual obligations to Motown, Ross recorded several songs with Lionel Richie, one of which, "Endless Love", led to the duo having an international number-one hit. The song was the theme song of the movie of the same name. When "Endless Love" hit #1 in 1981, Diana Ross became the first woman in music history to chart six #1 records. Combining her 12 as lead singer of The Supremes, Diana Ross' career total of number one records is 18, the most for any female recording artist in music history. Mariah Carey tied Ross' record in 2007. Motown issued a compilation album, ''To Love Again'', to compete with Ross' RCA debut.

Film career: 1972–1999

Though Ross had previously appeared in two films while a member of The Supremes, it wasn't until the early 1970s when Berry Gordy began to focus on making Ross an actress. In late 1971, Motown announced that Diana Ross was going to portray jazz icon Billie Holiday in a Motown-produced film loosely based on Holiday's autobiography ''Lady Sings the Blues'' (1956) written by Holiday and William Dufty. The movie co-starred Billy Dee Williams as Holiday's lover, Louis McKay. The cast also included comedian Richard Pryor as the "Piano Man".

Some critics ridiculed Ross's casting in the role. Ross and Holiday were considered to be "miles apart" in vocal styling and appearance. Undeterred, Ross immersed herself in Holiday's music and life story. She went to drug clinics and talked with doctors as research for the role. Ross made a crucial decision when it came to interpreting Holiday's music. Instead of imitating Billie Holiday's voice, Ross focused on Holiday's seemingly inimitable vocal phrasing.

Opening in October 1972, ''Lady Sings the Blues'' was a major success, and Ross's performance was lauded and well received. Jazz critic Leonard Feather, a friend of Billie Holiday, praised Ross for "expertly capturing the essence of Lady Day." In 1973, Ross was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for "Best Actress". Ross along with fellow nominee that year Cicely Tyson, were the second African American actresses to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress after Dorothy Dandridge. Ross won the Golden Globe for Best Newcomer, but lost the Best Actress Oscar to her friend Liza Minnelli for her role in ''Cabaret''. The soundtrack album for ''Lady Sings the Blues'' reached number one on the Billboard 200 for two weeks and broke then industry records by shipping 300,000 copies during its first eight days of release. The double-pocket custom label record is one of Ross's best-selling albums of all time, with total sales to date of nearly two million copies.

In 1975, Ross again co-starred with Billy Dee Williams in the Motown film ''Mahogany''. The story of an aspiring fashion designer who becomes a runway model and the toast of the industry, ''Mahogany'' was a troubled production from its inception. The film's original director, Tony Richardson, was fired during production and Berry Gordy assumed the director's chair himself. In addition, Gordy and Ross clashed during filming, with Ross leaving the production before shooting was completed, forcing Gordy to use secretary Edna Anderson as a body double for Ross. While a box office success, the film was not well received by the critics: ''Time'' magazine's review of the film chastised Gordy for "squandering one of America's most natural resources: Diana Ross".

In 1977, Motown acquired the film rights to the Broadway play ''The Wiz'', an African-American reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. Although teenage Stephanie Mills, a veteran of the play, was originally cast as Dorothy, Ross convinced Universal Pictures producer Rob Cohen to have Ross cast as Dorothy. Because of Ross' age, the script was modified to make the protagonist a school teacher rather than a schoolgirl. Among Ross's costars were Lena Horne, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross. Upon its October 1978 release, the film adaptation of ''The Wiz'', a $24 million production, earned $21,049,053 at the box office. Though pre-release television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $10 million, the film produced a net loss of $10.4 million for Motown and Universal. At the time, it was the most expensive film musical ever made. The film's failure ended Ross' short career on the big screen and contributed to the Hollywood studios' reluctance to produce the all-black film projects which had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early-to-mid 1970s for several years. The Wiz was Ross' final film for Motown.

Ross had success with movie-themed songs. While her version of Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache" only performed modestly well in early 1973, her recording of "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" gave Ross her third number-one hit, in late 1975. Three years later, Ross and Michael Jackson had a modest dance hit with their recording of "Ease on Down the Road". Their second duet, actually as part of the ensemble of ''The Wiz'', "Brand New Day", found some success overseas. Ross scored a Top 10 hit in late 1980 with the theme song to the 1980 film ''It's My Turn''. The following year, she collaborated with former Commodores singer-songwriter Lionel Richie on the theme song for the film ''Endless Love''. The Academy Award-nominated "Endless Love" single became her final hit on Motown Records, and the number one record of the year. Several years later, in 1988, Ross recorded the theme song to ''The Land Before Time''. "If We Hold On Together" became an international hit reaching number-one in Japan.

Ross would be given movie offers over the years but reportedly turned them down because of either contractual obligations or fears of being typecast. Ross had campaigned to portray pioneering entertainer Josephine Baker in a feature film even during her later years in Motown. However, in 1991, the feature film turned into a TV film with Lynn Whitfield playing Baker instead of Ross. Ross was also offered a role in an early adaptation of ''The Bodyguard'' with Ryan O'Neal. However, plans of this adaptation fell through. Years later, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner assumed the roles of Ross and O'Neal in the 1992 film. In 1993, Ross returned to making movies with a dramatic role in the TV film, ''Out of Darkness''. Ross won acclaim for her role in the film and a well earned third Golden Globe nomination. In 1999, she and Brandy Norwood co-starred in the film, ''Double Platinum'', which was released prior to the release of Ross' album, ''Every Day Is a New Day''.

Later solo career: 1981–1999

Diana Ross's RCA Records debut, ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'', was issued in October 1981. The album yielded three Top 10 hits including the title track "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", a remake of the 1956 Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers classic of the same name, and the single "Mirror Mirror". A third single, "Work That Body", hit the Top Ten in the UK. That success was repeated if only more modestly with the 1982 album, ''Silk Electric''. Ross' recording of Michael Jackson's "Muscles" gave Ross another top ten hit. Ross' 1983 album, ''Ross'', failed to produce any major success. It's single "Pieces Of Ice" peaked at #31 on the Hot 100 and was more popular as a music video than a Pop hit.

On January 24, 1982, Diana Ross sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XVI.

On July 21, 1983, Ross performed a concert in Central Park for a taped Showtime special. Proceeds of the concert would be donated to build a playground in the singer's name. Midway through the beginning of the show, a torrential downpour occurred. Ross tried to keep on performing, but the severe weather required that the show be stopped. Ross urged the large crowd to exit the venue safely, promising to perform the next day. The second concert held the very next day was without rain. The funds for the playground were to be derived from sales of different items at the concert; however, all profits earned from the first concert were spent on the second. When the mainstream media discovered the exorbitant costs of the two concerts, Diana Ross faced criticism and poor publicity. Although representatives of Diana Ross originally refused to pay anything for the proposed playground, Ross later paid the $250,000 required to build the park. The Diana Ross Playground was finally built three years later. The Diana Ross Playground at 83rd and Central Park West is a beautiful assortment of wood structures and classic outdoor children's gym obstacles making it a lovely addition to the park.

In 1984, Ross' career spiked yet again with the release of the million-selling ''Swept Away''. The title track became an international hit as did the chart-topping ballad, "Missing You", which was a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died earlier that year. Her 1985 album, ''Eaten Alive'', found major success overseas with the title track and "Chain Reaction", although neither of the songs became the best-sellers she was once accustomed to in America. Earlier in 1985, she appeared as part of the supergroup USA for Africa on the "'We Are the World'" charity single, which sold over 20 million copies world wide. Ross' 1987 follow up to ''Eaten Alive'', ''Red Hot Rhythm & Blues'', found less success than the prior album. In 1988, Ross chose to not renew her RCA contract.

Motown Records was being sold by Berry Gordy for $60 million. Ross advised Gordy not to make the move. Before leaving Motown, Gordy offered Ross a contract back to Motown. Ross was at first hesitant to return to the label but agreed after Gordy offered her part-ownership of the label. Despite initial promotion, Ross' next album, ''Workin' Overtime'', bombed. Subsequent follow-ups including ''The Force Behind the Power'' (1991), ''Take Me Higher'' (1995) and ''Every Day Is a New Day'' (1999) produced similarly disappointing sales. Ross had more success overseas with the albums than she did in America. In 1994, Ross performed at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, hosted in the USA. Her performance has become a running joke in football circles due to her obvious miming and for missing the goal from close range.

On January 28, 1996, Diana Ross performed the Halftime Show at Super Bowl XXX.

In 1999, she was named the most successful female singer in the history of the United Kingdom charts, based upon a tally of her career hits. Madonna would eventually succeed Ross as the most successful female artist in the UK.

Later that year, Ross presented at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in September of the year and shocked the audience by touching rapper Lil' Kim's exposed breast, pasty-covered nipple, amazed at the young rapper's brashness.

Supremes reunions and Return to Love

In 1983, Ross reunited with former Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong for the television special ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever''. The three performed their 1969 number-one hit "Someday We'll Be Together", although alleged onstage altercations between Ross and Wilson became an issue during and after the taping of the special. A four-song Supremes set was planned but Ross, suffering from influenza, declined to rehearse with "The Girls" and stated that they would have to be happy just doing "Someday We'll Be Together". Before the special was taped later that evening, Wilson allegedly planned with Birdsong to take a step forward every time Ross did the same. This appeared to frustrate Ross, causing her to push Wilson's shoulder. Later, Wilson was not aware of the script set by producer Suzanne DePasse, in which Ross was to introduce Berry Gordy. Wilson took it upon herself to do so, at which point Ross pushed down Wilson's hand-held microphone, stating "It's been taken care of." Ross, then, introduced Gordy. These incidents were excised from the final edit of the taped special, but still made their way into the news media; ''People'' magazine reported that "Ross [did] some elbowing to get Wilson out of the spotlight."

The original Supremes were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Original member Florence Ballard had died twelve years earlier. Ross was performing around the time of the induction ceremony and was unable to attend; Mary Wilson accepted the award. In 1999, Ross, Wilson and Cindy Birdsong held discussions about a possible Supremes reunion tour. These negotiations failed, and Ross hired late-era Supremes members Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne, who were touring as the Former Ladies of the Supremes, to participate. The ''Return to Love'' tour was launched in June 2000. The tour did well in large markets, but, struggled in medium markets due to controversial press stories. Despite selling out the final evening at Madison Square Garden in New York, the tour ended abruptly after just fourteen dates.

Current work

Following successful European and American tours in 2004, Diana Ross returned to the Billboard music charts with two duets in 2005. "I've Got a Crush on You", recorded with Rod Stewart for his album ''The Great American Songbook'', reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart. The second, recorded with Westlife, was a remake of Ross's 1991 number-2 UK single, "When You Tell Me You Love Me", and reached number 2 in the UK, just as the original had, and number 1 in Ireland. In January, 2005, M.A.C. Cosmetics named Diana Ross its beauty icon for 2005. In June 2006, Motown released the shelved ''Blue'' album, which peaked at number 2 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart. Ross' new studio album, ''I Love You'', was released worldwide on October 2, 2006 and January 16, 2007, in North America, on the Manhattan Records/EMI label. Since its release in 2007, EMI Inside reports that ''I Love You'' has sold more than 622,000 copies worldwide.

In January 2007, Ross appeared on a number of television shows across the U.S. to promote her new album and began touring in the spring. She appeared on ''American Idol'' as a mentor to the contestants Ross's United States "I Love You" tour garnered positive reviews, as did her European tour of the same year.

At the 2007 BET Awards, Ross was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by her five children and singer Alicia Keys. Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Chaka Khan performed musical tributes to Ross, covering several of her most popular recordings. During her acceptance speech, Ross lambasted the declining level of professional standards among the younger generation's musicians, as well as their overabundant use of vulgarity and profanity to garner press attention and record sales. Later that year, the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors committee, which recognizes career excellence, cultural influence and contributions to American culture, named Diana Ross as one of its honorees. Past honoree and fellow Motown alumni Smokey Robinson and actor Terrence Howard spoke on her behalf at the official ceremony that December, and singers Ciara, Vanessa L. Williams, Yolanda Adams and ''American Idol'' winner Jordin Sparks performed musical tributes.

The lectures are designed to present prolific and influential characters to speak about their life and inspirations. During her lecture Ross stated that it is "unlikely" that she would undertake any further movie projects.

In May 2008, Ross headlined at New York City's Radio City Music Hall's 'Divas with Heart' concert event, which also featured fellow performers Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle. The following month she was a headliner at the City Stages music festival in Birmingham, AL, next to The Flaming Lips. The New York Times said about the duo, "the most incongruous headliners at an outdoor urban concert series, with the once-in-a-lifetime-at-most combination of Diana Ross and the Flaming Lips. Something for everyone, surely." She performed at two major events in the UK in July 2008: the famous Liverpool Pops Festival and the National Trust Summer Festival at Petworth House, West Sussex. In June 2009, Diana Ross' recording of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song. On October 16–17, 2009, Diana Ross headlined the annual Dutch concert event, Symphonica in Rosso, in the 34,000-seat Gelredome Stadium, in Arnhem, The Netherlands. She was accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra. Each of the two concerts was sold out.

Ross performed a cross-country tour in the summer of 2010. The More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour featured an all-new set list, stage design, and costumes galore, and was dedicated to her friend Michael Jackson who died in June 2009. The tour, which commenced on May 15, 2010, in Boston, Massachusetts, earned Ross excellent reviews in every city in which she performed, and concluded in Saratoga, California. An extended American leg of the tour began in September, 2010, and is scheduled to continue until March 2011, in Stamford, Connecticut, after which, another American leg of her tour will begin on September 11, 2011, at Temecula, CA's Pechanga Resort and Casino, & continuing throughout autumn, 2011. It is rumored that Ross will mount European & Asian legs of the tour. In June 2011, Diana Ross was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. On December 21, 2011, The Recording Academy has announced, along with several legendary artists, including bossa nova originator Antonio Carlos Jobim & late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Diana Ross received a Grammy Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award on February 11, 2012. On February 23, 2012, Ross will begin the fifth US leg of her highly successful More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Hollywood, Fla.

Personal life

While Ross' mother was supportive of her career, her father was disappointed in her choice to be an entertainer rather than attend college like her other siblings. Biographies later stated Ross' drive was inspired by a lack of a support she felt from her father. Ross and her father's relationship repaired over the years until Fred Ross died in 2007. Ross' mother died in 1984.

Ross' elder sister Barbara found success as a doctor and in 1993, was appointed as dean of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, becoming the first black American woman to administer a medical school in the United States. Rita Ross, Diana's younger sister, became a teacher. Brothers Arthur and Wilbert "Chico" Ross followed their sister into the recording industry and entertainment business, respectively. Arthur became a songwriter for Motown writing hits for Michael Jackson, The Miracles and Marvin Gaye while Chico became a professional dancer and choreographer joining his elder sister as a choreographer on her shows during the 1970s and 1980s. Eldest brother Fred Ross, Jr., a veteran of the Vietnam War, never followed his sister into show business settling for civilian life in his native Detroit. Brother Arthur and his wife, Patricia Robinson, were murdered in 1996 in the northern Detroit suburb of Oak Park, Michigan. Their bodies were found bound and gagged in their basement. As of this writing, no one has been convicted of the murders. A state's witness disappeared before the case's primary suspect could be tried.

Ross married twice. Her first husband was music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, whom she married in January 1971. They divorced in March 1977. In January 1986, after a romantic courtship, Ross married billionaire Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Næss, Jr.. After several years of legal separation, the couple were officially divorced in 2000. Næss was later killed in a mountain climbing accident in 2004. Ross attended his funeral.

Ross is the mother of five children. Daughter Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein was born on August 14, 1971, Rhonda's biological father is Berry Gordy. She is now married; her married name is Rhonda Ross Kendrick. Ross and Silberstein had two daughters: Tracee Joy Silberstein, born October 29, 1972 (now known as Tracee Ellis Ross) and Chudney Lane Silberstein, born November 4, 1975 (now known as Chudney Ross). Ross had two sons with Næss. Their sons are Ross Arne Næss (born October 7, 1987) and Evan Olav Næss (born August 26, 1988), now known as Evan Ross). Ross became a grandmother when daughter Rhonda gave birth to a boy, Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, on August 7, 2009.

Solo discography

Filmography

1964: ''T.A.M.I. Show'' (with The Supremes)

1965: ''Beach Ball'' (with The Supremes)

1972: ''Lady Sings the Blues''

1975: ''Mahogany''

1978: ''The Wiz''

1994: ''Out of Darkness''

1999: ''Double Platinum''

2002: ''The Making and Meaning of We Are Family'' (documentary)

2010: ''Met With Sandra Ellison and Tamia Holmes''

Television

1968: ''Tarzan'' (with The Supremes)

1968: ''T.C.B.'' (with The Supremes)

1969: ''G.I.T. on Broadway'' (with The Supremes)

1971: ''Diana!''

1977: ''The Big Event: An Evening with Diana Ross''

1979: ''Diana Ross in Concert!''

1981: ''diana''

1981: ''Standing Room Only: Diana Ross''

1983: ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever''

1983: ''For One And For All – Diana Ross Live! in Central Park''

1987: ''Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues''

1989: ''Diana Ross: Workin' Overtime''

1992: ''Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments''

1994: ''Out of Darkness''

1996: ''Super Bowl XXX''

1999: ''Double Platinum''

2000: ''VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross''

2005: ''Tsunami Aid''

2007: ''BET Awards 2007''

2007: ''Kennedy Center Honors''

2008: ''Nobel Peace Prize Concert''

Autobiographies

(A scrapbook-style collection of photographs)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Diana Ross

List of best-selling music artists

List of number-one hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart

References

Further reading

External links

International Diana Ross website

Diana Ross Tribute Fansite website

Barbara Walters interviews Diana Ross about "Return To Love" Tour

International Diana Ross Fanclub website

Diana Ross Superstar website

Diana Ross discography at MusicBrainz

Carlo's Supremes website

Mark's Diana Ross website

unofficial biography page

Supremes 9.0 — fansite

Diana Ross interview recorded 10.13.1968

on the Pop Chronicles

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name	Sir Paul McCartney MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM
birth name	James Paul McCartney
background	solo_singer
alt	Black-and-white image of McCartney, in his sixties, holding an electric bass. He wears a black buttoned-up suit jacket with black pants.
birth name	James Paul McCartney
birth date	June 18, 1942
birth place	Liverpool, England, UK
instrument	Vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, drums, ukulele, mandolin, recorder
genre	Rock, pop, classical, electronica
occupation	Musician, composer, music producer, film producer, businessman
years active	1957–present
label	Hear, Apple, Parlophone, Capitol, Columbia, Concord, EMI, One Little Indian, Vee-Jay
associated acts	The Quarrymen, The Beatles, Wings, The Fireman, Linda McCartney, John Lennon, Denny Laine
website
notable instruments	Höfner 500/1Rickenbacker 4001SGibson Les PaulEpiphone TexanEpiphone CasinoFender EsquireFender Jazz BassYamaha BB1200 BassWal 5-String BassMartin D-28 }}

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM (born 18 June 1942) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of the Beatles (1960–1970) and Wings (1971–1981), McCartney is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles in the United Kingdom alone.

With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, McCartney gained worldwide fame as a member of the Beatles, and with Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships in the history of popular music. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine.

BBC News Online readers named McCartney the "greatest composer of the millennium". According to the BBC, his Beatles song "Yesterday" has been covered by over 2,200 artists—more than any other song in the history of recorded music. Since its 1965 release it has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American television and radio. Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre" became the first single to sell more than two million copies in the United Kingdom and remains the UK's top selling non-charity single. Based on the 93 weeks his compositions have spent at the top spot of the UK chart, and 24 number one singles to his credit, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in UK singles chart history. As a performer or songwriter, McCartney was responsible for 31 number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the United States, and has sold 15.5 million RIAA certified albums in the United States.

McCartney has composed film scores, classical and electronic music, released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist, and has taken part in projects to help international charities. He is an advocate for animal rights, for vegetarianism, and for music education; he is active in campaigns against landmines, seal hunting, and Third World debt. He is a keen football fan, supporting both Everton and Liverpool football clubs. His company MPL Communications owns the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, including all songs written by Buddy Holly, along with publishing rights to the musicals ''Guys and Dolls'', ''A Chorus Line'', and ''Grease''. McCartney is one of the UK's wealthiest people, with an estimated fortune of £475 million in 2010.

Childhood

McCartney was born in Walton Hospital in Liverpool England, where his mother, Mary (née Mohin), had "satisfied her state registry requirments" for nursing, twelve years earlier. His father James, or "Jim" McCartney, was absent at his son's birth due to his work as a volunteer fire fighter during World War II. McCartney has one brother, Michael, born 7 January 1944, and though they were baptised in their mother's Roman Catholic faith, "religion did not play a part in their upbringing", as McCartney's father was a Protestant turned agnostic.

In 1947 he began attending Stockton Wood Road Primary School, by 1952 Joseph Williams Junior School, where he passed the 11-plus exam in 1953 with three others out of ninety examinees, thus gaining admission to the Liverpool Institute. In 1954, while taking the bus from his home in the suburb of Speke to the Institute, he met George Harrison. Passing the exam meant they could go to a grammar school rather than a secondary modern school, which the majority of pupils attended until they were eligible to work.

In 1955 the McCartneys moved to 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton. The first member of his family to own a car, his mother rode a bicycle to houses where she worked as a midwife; he describes an early memory her leaving at "about three in the morning" the "streets ... thick with snow". On 31 October 1956, when he was fourteen, his mother died of an embolism after a mastectomy operation to stop the spread of her breast cancer. The early loss of his mother was later a point of relation with John Lennon, whose mother Julia died after being struck by a car when Lennon was seventeen.

His father was a trumpet player and pianist who had led Jim Mac's Jazz Band in the 1920s and encouraged his son to be musical. He kept an upright piano in the front room that he purchased from Epstein's North End Music Stores. His father, Joe McCartney, played an E-flat tuba. Jim McCartney used to point out the bass parts in songs on the radio, and often took his son to local brass band concerts. He gave Paul a nickel-plated trumpet for his fourteenth birthday, but when rock and roll became popular on Radio Luxembourg, he traded it for a £15 Framus Zenith (model 17) acoustic guitar, realizing that its difficult to sing, "with a trumpet stuck in your mouth." Being left-handed, he found right-handed guitars difficult to play, but when he saw a poster advertising a Slim Whitman concert, he realised that Whitman played left-handed with his right-handed guitar strung the opposite way. He then restrung his guitar and after some adjustments, found it easier to play. McCartney wrote his first song ("I Lost My Little Girl") on the Zenith, and his second song, "When I'm Sixty-Four", on the piano, which despite his father's advice, he took only a couple of lessons for, preferring instead to learn "by ear." He was heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues music, and has stated that Little Richard was his idol when he was in school. The first song he ever sang in public was "Long Tall Sally", at a Butlins holiday camp talent competition.

Musical career

1957–1960

When he was 15, he met John Lennon and The Quarrymen at the St. Peter's Church Hall fête in Woolton on 6 July 1957. He joined the group soon after, and formed a close working relationship with Lennon, collaboratively writing songs together. Harrison joined in early 1958 as lead guitarist, followed in early 1960 by Lennon's art school friend, Stuart Sutcliffe on bass. By May 1960, they had tried several new names, including "Johnny and the Moondogs" and "the Silver Beetles", playing a tour of Scotland under that name with Johnny Gentle. They changed the name of the group to "the Beatles" in mid-August 1960 and recruited Pete Best at short notice to become their drummer for an imminent engagement in Hamburg.

1960–1970: The Beatles

From August 1960, the Beatles were booked by Allan Williams to perform at a club in Hamburg. During extended stays over the next two years, they performed as a resident group in a number of Hamburg clubs. On returns to Liverpool they played at the Cavern club. Prior to the end of the residency, Sutcliffe left the band, so McCartney reluctantly became their bass player. The Beatles recorded their first published musical material in Hamburg, performing as the backing group for Tony Sheridan on the single "My Bonnie", a recording that would later bring them to the attention of a key figure in their subsequent development and commercial success, Brian Epstein, who became their next manager. Epstein eventually negotiated a record contract for the group with Parlophone in May 1962. After replacing Best with Ringo Starr, they became increasingly popular in the UK during 1963 and in the US in 1964. In 1965, they were each appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). After touring almost non-stop for a period of nearly four years, and giving more than 1,400 live performances internationally, the group gave their final commercial concert at the end of their 1966 US tour. They continued to work in the recording studio from 1966 until their break-up in 1970. In the eight years from 1962 to 1970, the group released twenty-two UK singles and twelve studio albums, often released in different configurations in the USA and other countries (see discography). In October 1969, a rumour surfaced that McCartney had died in a car crash, but it was soon proven false when a November ''Life'' magazine cover featured McCartney and his family with the caption, "Paul is Still With Us."

Since 1970

After the break-up of the Beatles, McCartney continued his musical career, releasing his first solo album ''McCartney'' in 1970. He worked with his wife Linda McCartney to record a second album, ''Ram'', in 1971. Later that year, the pair were joined by ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell to form the group Wings. Active between 1971 and 1981, the group released numerous successful singles and albums (see Wings discography). McCartney also collaborated with a number of other popular artists including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Eric Stewart, and Elvis Costello. In 1985, McCartney played "Let It Be" at the Live Aid concert in London, backed by Bob Geldof, Pete Townshend, David Bowie, and Alison Moyet. In 1989, he joined forces with fellow Merseysiders including Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood to record a new version of Ferry Cross the Mersey (originally recorded 25 years earlier by Gerry and the Pacemakers) to generate money for the appeal fund of the Hillsborough disaster, which occurred on 15 April that year and in which ninety-five Liverpool F.C. fans died as a result of their injuries.

During the 1990s McCartney ventured into orchestral music, and in 1991 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned a musical piece by him to celebrate its sesquicentennial. He collaborated with Carl Davis to release ''Liverpool Oratorio''; involving opera singers Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sally Burgess, Jerry Hadley and Willard White, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of Liverpool Cathedral. The Prince of Wales later honoured McCartney as a Fellow of The Royal College of Music and Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music (2008). Other forays into classical music included ''Standing Stone'' (1997), ''Working Classical'' (1999), ''Ecce Cor Meum'' (2006), and "Ocean's Kingdom" (2011).

In December 1996, he was informed that he was to be named in the 1997 New Year Honours and was to be knighted for services to music; his ceremony took place on 11 March. In 1999, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. In May 2000, he was awarded a Fellowship by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. In 1994 McCartney, Harrison, and Starr began working together on Apple's ''The Beatles Anthology'' documentary series.

Having witnessed the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks from the JFK airport tarmac, McCartney took a lead role in organising The Concert for New York City. In November 2002, on the first anniversary of George Harrison's death, McCartney performed at the Concert for George. He has also participated in the National Football League's Super Bowl, performing in the pre-game show for Super Bowl XXXVI and headlining the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIX.

McCartney continues to work in the realms of popular and classical music, touring the world and performing at a large number of concerts and events; on more than one occasion he has performed with Ringo Starr. In 2008 he received a BRIT award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and an honorary degree, Doctor of Music, from Yale University. The same year, he performed at a concert in Liverpool to celebrate the city's year as European Capital of Culture. In 2009, he received two nominations for the 51st annual Grammy awards, while in October of the same year he was named songwriter of the year at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards. On 15 July 2009, more than 45 years after the Beatles first appeared on American television on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', McCartney returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater to perform on ''Late Show with David Letterman''.

On 2 June 2010, McCartney was honoured by Barack Obama with the Gershwin Prize for his contributions to popular music in a live show for the White House with performances by Stevie Wonder, Lang Lang and many others.

McCartney's enduring popularity has helped him schedule performances in new venues. He played three sold out concerts at newly-built Citi Field in Queens, New York (built to replace the iconic Shea Stadium) on 17, 18, and 21 July 2009. On 27 June 2010, McCartney did a benefit concert at Hyde Park for the Born HIV Free foundation. On 18 August 2010, McCartney opened the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On 15–16 July 2011, McCartney performed the first concerts at the new Yankee Stadium.

McCartney has been touring since 2001 with guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, Paul "Wix" Wickens on keyboards and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. In 2010, plans for an upcoming Paul McCartney tribute album were announced with recordings of McCartney songs by Kiss, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, B.B. King and others. ''Kisses on the Bottom'', a collection of standards, was released on 7 February 2012. McCartney was honoured as MusiCares Person of the Year on 10 February 2012, two days prior to his performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Creative outlets

During the 1960s, McCartney was often seen at major cultural events, such as the launch party for the ''International Times'' and at The Roundhouse (28 January and 4 February 1967 respectively). He also delved into the visual arts, becoming a close friend of leading art dealers and gallery owners, explored experimental film, and regularly attended movie, theatrical and classical music performances. His first contact with the London avant-garde scene was through John Dunbar, who introduced him to the art dealer Robert Fraser, who in turn introduced McCartney to an array of writers and artists. McCartney later became involved in the renovation and publicising of the Indica Gallery in Mason's Yard, London — John Lennon first met Yoko Ono at the Indica. The Indica Gallery brought McCartney into contact with Barry Miles, whose underground newspaper, the ''International Times'', McCartney helped to start. Miles would become ''de facto'' manager of the Apple's short-lived Zapple Records label, and wrote McCartney's official biography, ''Many Years From Now'' (1997).

While living at the Asher house, McCartney took piano lessons at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which The Beatles' producer Martin had previously attended. McCartney studied composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Luciano Berio. McCartney later wrote and released several pieces of modern classical music and ambient electronica, besides writing poetry and painting. McCartney is lead patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, an arts school in the building formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Boys. The 1837 building, which McCartney attended during his schooldays, had become derelict by the mid-1980s. On 7 June 1996, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the redeveloped building.

Electronic music

After the recording of "Yesterday" in 1965, McCartney contacted the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in Maida Vale, London, to see if they could record an electronic version of the song, but never followed it up. When visiting John Dunbar's flat in London, McCartney would take along tapes he had compiled at Jane Asher's house. The tapes were mixes of various songs, musical pieces and comments made by McCartney that he had Dick James make into a demo record for him. Heavily influenced by John Cage, he made tape loops by recording voices, guitars, and bongoes on a Brenell tape recorder, and splicing the various loops together. He reversed the tapes, sped them up, and slowed them down to create the effects he wanted, some of which were later used on Beatles' recordings, such as "Tomorrow Never Knows". McCartney referred to the tapes as "electronic symphonies".

In the spring of 1966 McCartney rented a ground floor and basement flat from Ringo Starr at 34 Montagu Square, to be used as a small demo studio for spoken-word recordings by poets, writers (including William S. Burroughs) and avant-garde musicians. The Beatles' Apple Records then launched a sub-label, Zapple with Miles as its manager, ostensibly to release recordings of a similar aesthetic, although few releases would ultimately result as Apple and The Beatles slid into business and personal difficulties.

In 1995, McCartney recorded a radio series called "Oobu Joobu" for the American network Westwood One, which he described as being "wide-screen radio". During the 1990s, McCartney collaborated with Youth of Killing Joke under the name The Fireman, and released two ambient electronic albums: ''Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest'' (1993) and ''Rushes'' (1998). In 2000, he released an album titled ''Liverpool Sound Collage'' with Super Furry Animals and Youth, utilising the sound collage and musique concrète techniques that fascinated him in the mid-1960s. In 2005, he worked on a project with bootleg producer and remixer Freelance Hellraiser, consisting of remixed versions of songs from throughout his solo career which were released under the title ''Twin Freaks''. The Fireman's third album ''Electric Arguments'' was released on 25 November 2008. Unlike the first two Fireman albums, this one was more song-based in its structure. McCartney told ''L.A. Weekly'' in a January 2009, "Fireman is improvisational theatre ... I formalise it a bit to get it into the studio, and when I step up to a microphone, I have a vague idea of what I'm about to do. I usually have a song, and I know the melody and lyrics, and my performance is the only unknown."

Film

McCartney was interested in animated films as a child, and later had the financial resources to ask Geoff Dunbar to direct a short animated film called ''Rupert and the Frog Song'', in 1981. McCartney was the producer, he wrote the music and the script, and also added some of the character voices. McCartney wrote and starred in the 1984 film ''Give My Regards to Broad Street''. The film and soundtrack featured the popular hit "No More Lonely Nights", and the album reached No.1 in the UK, but the film did not do well commercially or critically. Roger Ebert awarded the film a single star and wrote, "You can safely skip the movie and proceed directly to the sound track." Dunbar worked again with McCartney on an animated film about the work of French artist Honoré Daumier, in 1992, which won both of them a BAFTA award. They also worked on ''Tropic Island Hum'' in 1997. In 1995, McCartney made a guest appearance in the "Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode of ''The Simpsons'', and directed a short documentary about The Grateful Dead.

In May 2000, McCartney released ''Wingspan: An Intimate Portrait'', a retrospective documentary that features behind-the-scenes films and photographs that Paul and Linda McCartney (who had died in 1998) took of their family and bands. Interspersed throughout the 88 minute film is an interview by Mary McCartney with her father. Mary was the baby photographed inside McCartney's jacket on the back cover of his first solo album, ''McCartney'', and was one of the producers of the documentary.

Painting

In 1966, McCartney met art gallery-owner Robert Fraser, whose flat was visited by many well-known artists. McCartney met Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Peter Blake, and Richard Hamilton there, and learned about art appreciation. McCartney later started buying paintings by Magritte, and used Magritte's painting of an apple for the Apple Records logo. He now owns Magritte's easel and spectacles.

McCartney's love of painting surfaced after watching artist Willem de Kooning paint, in Kooning's Long Island studio. McCartney took up painting in 1983. In 1999, he exhibited his paintings (featuring McCartney's portraits of John Lennon, Andy Warhol, and David Bowie) for the first time in Siegen, Germany, and included photographs by Linda. He chose the gallery because Wolfgang Suttner (local events organiser) was genuinely interested in his art, and the positive reaction led to McCartney showing his work in UK galleries. The first UK exhibition of McCartney's work was opened in Bristol, England with more than 50 paintings on display. McCartney had previously believed that "only people that had been to art school were allowed to paint" – as Lennon had.

In October 2000, Yoko Ono and McCartney presented art exhibitions in New York and London. McCartney said, "I've been offered an exhibition of my paintings at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool where John and I used to spend many a pleasant afternoon. So I'm really excited about it. I didn't tell anybody I painted for 15 years but now I'm out of the closet."

As an artist, Paul McCartney designed a series of six postage stamps issued by the Isle of Man Post on 1 July 2002. According to BBC News, McCartney seems to be the first major rock star in the world who is also known as a stamp designer.

Writing and poetry

When McCartney was young, his mother read him poems and encouraged him to read books. McCartney's father was interested in crosswords and invited the two young McCartneys (Paul and his brother Michael) to solve them with him, so as to increase their "word power". McCartney was later inspired – in his school years – by Alan Durband, who was McCartney's English literature teacher at the Liverpool Institute. Durband was a co-founder and fund-raiser at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, where Willy Russell also worked, and introduced McCartney to Geoffrey Chaucer's works. McCartney later took his A-level exams, but passed only one subject – Art.

In 2001 McCartney published 'Blackbird Singing', a volume of poems, some of which were lyrics to his songs, and gave readings in Liverpool and New York City. Some of them were serious: "Here Today" (about Lennon) and some humorous ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer"). In the foreword of the book, McCartney explained that when he was a teenager, he had "an overwhelming desire" to have a poem of his published in the school magazine. He wrote something "deep and meaningful", but it was rejected, and he feels that he has been trying to get some kind of revenge ever since. His first "real poem" was about the death of his childhood friend, Ivan Vaughan.

In October 2005, McCartney released a children's book called ''High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail''. In a press release publicising the book, McCartney said, "I have loved reading for as long as I can remember", singling out ''Treasure Island'' as a childhood favourite. McCartney collaborated with author Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar to write the book.

Contact with fellow ex-Beatles

John Lennon

Although McCartney's post-Beatles relationship with John Lennon was troubled, they became close again briefly in 1974 and even played together for the only time since The Beatles split (see A Toot and a Snore in '74). In later years, the two grew apart again. McCartney would often call Lennon, but was never sure of what sort of reception he would get, such as when McCartney once called Lennon and was told, "You're all pizza and fairytales!" McCartney understood that he could not just phone Lennon and only talk about business, so they often talked about cats, baking bread, or babies. According to May Pang, during Lennon's "Lost Weekend" with her they planned to visit McCartney in New Orleans, where McCartney was recording the ''Venus and Mars'' album, but Lennon went back to Ono the day before the planned visit after Ono said she had a new cure for Lennon's smoking habit.

In a 1980 interview, Lennon said that the last time he had seen McCartney was when they had watched the episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' (May 1976) in which Lorne Michaels had made his $3,000 cash offer to get Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr to reunite on the show. McCartney and Lennon had seriously considered going to the studio, but were too tired. This event was fictionalised in the 2000 television film ''Two of Us''. His last telephone call to Lennon, which was just before Lennon and Ono released ''Double Fantasy'', was friendly. During the call, Lennon said (laughing) to McCartney, "This housewife wants a career!" which referred to Lennon's househusband years, while looking after Sean Lennon. In 1984, McCartney said this about the phone call: "Yes. That is a nice thing, a consoling factor for me, because I do feel it was sad that we never actually sat down and straightened our differences out. But fortunately for me, the last phone conversation I ever had with him was really great, and we didn't have any kind of blow-up." Linda McCartney, speaking in the same 1984 interview stated: "I know that Paul was desperate to write with John again. And I know John was desperate to write. Desperate. People thought, well, he's taking care of Sean, he's a househusband and all that, but he wasn't happy. He couldn't write and it drove him crazy. And Paul could have helped him ... easily."

;Reaction to Lennon's murder On the morning of 9 December 1980, McCartney awoke to the news that Lennon had been murdered outside his home in the Dakota building in New York City. Lennon's death created a media frenzy around the surviving members of The Beatles. On the evening of 9 December, as McCartney was leaving an Oxford Street recording studio, he was surrounded by reporters and asked for his reaction to Lennon's death. He was later criticised for what appeared, when published, to be an utterly superficial response: "It's a drag". McCartney explained, "When John was killed somebody stuck a microphone at me and said: 'What do you think about it?' I said, 'It's a dra-a-ag' and meant it with every inch of melancholy I could muster. When you put that in print it says, 'McCartney in London today when asked for a comment on his dead friend said, "It's a drag."' It seemed a very flippant comment to make." McCartney was also to recall: }} In 1983, McCartney said: }} In a ''Playboy'' interview in 1984, McCartney said that he went home that night and watched the news on television – while sitting with all his children – and cried all evening.

McCartney carried on recording after the death of Lennon but did not play any live concerts for some time. He explained that this was because he was nervous that he would be "the next" to be murdered. This led to a disagreement with Denny Laine, who wanted to continue touring and subsequently left Wings, which McCartney disbanded in 1981. Also in June 1981, six months after Lennon's death, McCartney sang backup on George Harrison's tribute to Lennon, "All Those Years Ago", which also featured Ringo Starr on drums. McCartney would go on to record "Here Today", a tribute song to Lennon.

George Harrison

In 1977, Harrison had this to say about working with McCartney: "There were a lot of tracks though where I played bass ... because what Paul would do, if he's written a song, he'd learn all the parts for Paul and then come in the studio and say, 'Do this.' He'd never give you the opportunity to come out with something. Paul would always help along when you'd done his ten songs—then when he got 'round to doing one of my songs, he would help. It was silly. It was very selfish, actually." While being interviewed circa 1988, Harrison said McCartney had recently mentioned the possibility of the two of them writing together, to which Harrison laughed, "I've only been there about 30 years in Paul's life and it's like now he wants to write with me."

In September 1980, Lennon said of Harrison and McCartney's working relationship: "I remember the day [Harrison] called to ask for help on 'Taxman', one of his bigger songs. I threw in a few one-liners to help the song along, because that's what he asked for. He came to me because he could not go to Paul, because Paul would not have helped him at that period." Despite this statement, McCartney did contribute to the song, playing the track's guitar solo.

In late 2001, McCartney learned that Harrison was losing his battle with cancer. Upon Harrison's death on 29 November 2001, McCartney told ''Entertainment Tonight'', ''Access Hollywood'', ''Extra'', ''Good Morning America'', ''The Early Show'', ''MTV'', ''VH1'' and ''Today'' that George was like his "baby brother". Harrison spent his last days in a Hollywood Hills mansion that was once leased by McCartney. On the day Harrison died, McCartney said, "George was a fantastic guy ... still laughing and joking ... a very brave man ... and I love him like ... he's my brother." While guesting on ''Larry King Live'' alongside Ringo Starr, McCartney said of the last time he saw Harrison, "We just sat there stroking hands. And this is a guy, and, you know, you don't stroke hands with guys, like that, you know it was just beautiful. We just spent a couple of hours and it was really lovely it was like ... a favourite memory of mine." On the first anniversary of Harrison's death, McCartney played Harrison's "Something" on a ukulele at the Concert for George. He also performed "For You Blue," "All Things Must Pass," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Personal relationships

One of McCartney's first girlfriends, in 1959, was called Layla, a name he remembers being unusual in Liverpool at the time. Layla was slightly older than McCartney and used to ask him to baby-sit with her. Julie Arthur, another girlfriend, was Ted Ray's niece.

Dot Rhone

McCartney's first serious girlfriend in Liverpool was Dot Rhone, whom he met at the Casbah club in 1959. McCartney chose clothes and make-up for Rhone, and he paid for her to have her hair styled like Brigitte Bardot's. When McCartney first went to Hamburg with The Beatles, he wrote to Rhone regularly, and she accompanied Cynthia Lennon to Hamburg when The Beatles played there again in 1962. The couple had a three-year relationship, and were due to marry until Rhone's miscarriage.

Jane Asher

McCartney first met the British actress Jane Asher on 18 April 1963, when a photographer asked them to pose together at a Beatles performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The two began a relationship and McCartney took up residence with Asher at her parents' house at 57 Wimpole Street London, where he lived for nearly three years before the couple moved to McCartney's own house in St. John's Wood. McCartney wrote several songs while at the Ashers', including "Yesterday" and several inspired by Asher, among them "And I Love Her", "You Won't See Me", and "I'm Looking Through You". McCartney and Asher had a five-year relationship, and they planned to marry, but Asher broke off the engagement when she discovered McCartney had become involved with another woman, Francie Schwartz. However, Schwartz stated that McCartney and Asher had already broken up before the incident.

Linda McCartney

In 1969, McCartney married American photographer Linda Eastman, whom he described as the woman who gave him "the strength and courage to work again" after the break-up of The Beatles. The pair had met previously at a 1967 Georgie Fame concert at The Bag O'Nails club, during her UK assignment to take photographs of "Swinging Sixties" musicians in London. Paul and Linda were both vegetarian and supported the animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They had four children – Linda's daughter Heather (who was adopted by Paul), Mary, Stella and James – and remained married until Linda's death from breast cancer in 1998.

Heather Mills

In 2002, McCartney married Heather Mills, a former model and anti-landmines campaigner. The couple had a child, Beatrice, in 2003. They separated in May 2006 and were divorced in May 2008. Widespread animosity towards McCartney's wives was reported in 2004. "They [the British public] didn't like me giving up on Jane Asher", McCartney said. "I married a New York divorcee with a child, and at the time they didn't like that."

Nancy Shevell

McCartney married New Yorker Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, London on 9 October 2011. The wedding was a "low-key affair" attended by a group of around 30 family and friends. The couple had been dating since November 2007. A breast cancer survivor, she is a member of the board of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as well as vice president of a family-owned transportation conglomerate which owns New England Motor Freight.

Lifestyle

Drugs

McCartney's introduction to drugs started in Hamburg, Germany. The Beatles had to play for hours, and they were often given "Prellies" (Preludin) by German customers or by Astrid Kirchherr (whose mother bought them). McCartney would usually take one, but Lennon would often take four or five.

McCartney remembered getting "very high" and giggling when The Beatles were introduced to cannabis by Bob Dylan in New York, in 1964. McCartney's use of cannabis became regular, and he was quoted as saying that any future Beatles' lyrics containing the words "high", or "grass" were written specifically as a reference to cannabis, as was the phrase "another kind of mind" in "Got to Get You into My Life". John Dunbar's flat at 29 Lennox Gardens, in London, became a regular hang-out for McCartney, where he talked to musicians, writers and artists, and smoked cannabis. In 1965, Barry Miles introduced McCartney to hash brownies by using a recipe for hash fudge he found in the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook. During the filming of ''Help!'', he occasionally smoked a spliff in the car on the way to the studio during filming, which often made him forget his lines. ''Help!'' director Dick Lester said that he overheard "two beautiful women" trying to cajole McCartney into taking heroin, but he refused.

McCartney's attitude about cannabis was made public in the 1960s, when he added his name to an advertisement in ''The Times'', on 24 July 1967, which asked for the legalisation of cannabis, the release of all prisoners imprisoned because of possession, and research into marijuana's medical uses. The advertisement was sponsored by a group called Soma and was signed by 65 people, including The Beatles, Epstein, RD Laing, 15 doctors, and two MPs.

McCartney was introduced to cocaine by Robert Fraser, and it was available during the recording of ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. He admitted that he used the drug multiple times for about a year but stopped because of the unpleasant comedown.

In 1967, on a sailing trip to Greece (with the idea of buying an island for the whole group) McCartney said everybody sat around and took LSD, although McCartney had first taken it with Tara Browne, in 1966. He took his second "acid trip" with Lennon on 21 March 1967 after a studio session. McCartney was the first British pop star to openly admit to using LSD, in an interview in the now-defunct ''Queen'' magazine. His admission was followed by a TV interview in the UK on ITN on 19 June 1967, and when McCartney was asked about his admission of LSD use, he said:

McCartney was not arrested by Norman Pilcher's Drug Squad, as Donovan and several members of the Rolling Stones had been. In 1972, however, police found cannabis plants growing on his Scottish farm.

On 16 January 1980, Wings went to Tokyo for 11 concerts in Japan. As McCartney was going through customs, officials found 7.7 ounces (218.3 g) of cannabis in his luggage. He was arrested and taken to a Tokyo prison while the Japanese government decided what to do. McCartney had been previously denied a visa to Japan (in 1975) because he had been convicted twice in Europe for possession of cannabis. Public figures called for McCartney to be put on trial for drug-smuggling. Had he been convicted, he would have faced up to seven years in prison. The Wings Japanese tour was cancelled and the other members of Wings left Japan. After ten days in jail, McCartney was released and deported. He was told that he would not be welcome in Japan again, although a decade later he played a concert in Tokyo. In 1984, Paul and Linda McCartney were both arrested for possession of cannabis.

In an interview in 2004 he stated that he no longer smoked marijuana; he also admitted to taking heroin, LSD and cocaine but said his drug use was never excessive.

Meditation

On 24 August 1967, McCartney met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the London Hilton, and later went to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend a weekend 'initiation' conference, at which time he and the other Beatles learned Transcendental Meditation (TM). "The whole meditation experience was very good and I still use the mantra ... I find it soothing and I can imagine that the more you were to get into it, the more interesting it would get." The time McCartney later spent in India at the Maharishi's ashram was highly productive, as practically all of the songs that would later be recorded for ''The White Album'' and ''Abbey Road'' were composed there by McCartney, Lennon, or both together. Although McCartney was told that he was never to repeat the mantra to anyone else, he did tell Linda McCartney, and said he meditated a lot while he was in jail in Japan. In 2009, McCartney, along with Ringo Starr, headlined a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall, raising three million dollars for the David Lynch Foundation to fund instruction in Transcendental Meditation for at-risk youth.

Activism

Paul and Linda McCartney became outspoken vegetarians and animal rights activists. They said that their vegetarianism was realised when they happened to see lambs in a field as they ate a meal of lamb. McCartney has also credited the 1942 Disney film ''Bambi'' – in which the young deer's mother is shot by a hunter – as the original inspiration for him to take an interest in animal rights. In his first interview after Linda's death, he promised to continue working for animal rights. In 1999, McCartney spent £3,000,000 to ensure Linda McCartney's food remained free of genetically engineered ingredients. In 2002, McCartney gave his support to a campaign against a proposed ban on the sale of certain vitamins, herbs, and mineral products in the European Union. Following his marriage to Heather Mills, McCartney joined her in a campaign against landmines. Both McCartney and Mills are patrons of Adopt-A-Minefield. In 2003, McCartney played a personal concert for the wife of a wealthy banker and donated his one million dollar fee to the charity. He also wore an anti-landmines t-shirt on the Back in the World tour.

In 2006, the McCartneys travelled to Prince Edward Island to bring international attention to the seal hunt (their final public appearance together). Their arrival sparked attention in Newfoundland and Labrador where the hunt is of economic significance. The couple also debated with Newfoundland's Premier Danny Williams on the CNN show ''Larry King Live''. They further stated that the fishermen should quit hunting seals and begin a seal watching business. McCartney has also criticised China's fur trade and supports the Make Poverty History campaign.

McCartney has been involved with a number of charity recordings and performances. In 2004, he donated a song to an album to aid the "US Campaign for Burma", in support of Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and he had previously been involved in the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Live Aid, and the recording of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" (released 8 May 1989) following the Hillsborough disaster.

In 2008, he donated a song to Aid Still Required's CD to assist with the restoration of the devastation done to Southeast Asia from the 2004 Tsunami.

In a December 2008 interview with ''Prospect Magazine'', McCartney mentioned that he tried to convince the Dalai Lama to become a vegetarian. In a letter to the Dalai Lama, McCartney took issue with Buddhism and meat-eating being considered compatible, saying, "Forgive me for pointing this out, but if you eat animals then there is some suffering somewhere along the line." The Dalai Lama responded, saying his doctors advised him to eat meat for health reasons. In the interview McCartney said, "I wrote back saying they were wrong."

Football

The Beatles were advised by Epstein to make no comments about the football clubs they supported because it could alienate some fans, though it was well known that McCartney was a supporter of Everton Football Club, and that his father and relatives used to take him to matches. His allegiance later shifted to Liverpool F.C., as on 28 July 1968, The Beatles were photographed in a photographer's studio at 192–212 Gray's Inn Road, with McCartney wearing a Liverpool F.C. rosette. Linda McCartney later said: "We spent last night listening to Liverpool football team on the radio, wanting them to win so badly. Paul supports Liverpool. He was for Everton for a while because of his family — but it's all Liverpool now."

Lennon and McCartney were present to watch the 1966 FA Cup Final at Wembley, between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, and McCartney attended the 1968 FA Cup Final (18 May 1968) which was played by West Bromwich Albion against Everton. After the end of the match, McCartney shared cigarettes and whisky with other football fans. The ex-Liverpool player, Albert Stubbins, was the only footballer shown on the ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' cover. McCartney tried to listen (on a radio) to the Liverpool v Manchester United 1977 FA Cup Final, while sailing in the Caribbean, and the video for McCartney's "Pipes of Peace" (in 1983) recreated the 1915 football game played between German and British troops during World War I, at Christmas.

At the end of the live version of "Coming Up" recorded in Glasgow in 1979 (later to become a US number one single) the crowd begins to sing "Paul McCartney!" until McCartney takes over and changes the chant to "Kenny Dalglish!", referring to the current Liverpool and Scotland striker. At the same concert, Gordon Smith, former football player who played for Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion, met the McCartneys, and later accepted an invitation to visit their home in East Sussex in 1980. Smith later said that McCartney was "thrilled I knew Kenny Dalglish", to which Linda added: "I like Gordon McQueen of Man United", and Smith replied, "I know him too."

McCartney attended the 1986 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Everton, and in 1989, he contributed to the "Ferry Cross the Mersey" charity single that was recorded to aid victims of the Hillsborough Disaster, which happened during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. McCartney performed at the Liverpool F.C. Anfield stadium on 1 June 2008, as a part of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year. Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters sang with McCartney on "Band on the Run", and played drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R.". Ono and Olivia Harrison attended the concert, along with Ken Dodd, and the former Liverpool F.C. football manager Rafael Benítez.

In an interview in 2008, McCartney ended speculation about his allegiance when he said:

"Here's the deal: my father was born in Everton, my family are officially Evertonians, so if it comes down to a derby match or an FA Cup final between the two, I would have to support Everton. But after a concert at Wembley Arena I got a bit of a friendship with Kenny Dalglish, who had been to the gig and I thought 'You know what? I am just going to support them both because it's all Liverpool and I don't have that Catholic-Protestant thing.' So I did have to get special dispensation from the Pope to do this but that's it, too bad. I support them both. They are both great teams, but if it comes to the crunch, I'm Evertonian."

In 2010, there was heavy speculation surrounding McCartney that he was to head up a consortium launching a take-over bid for struggling Charlton Athletic. Links between the club and the famous musician go a long way back with Charlton's famous supporters anthem – Valley, Floyd Road – using the tune and a number of lyrics from the Wings song "Mull of Kintyre".

Business

McCartney is one of Britain's wealthiest musicians, with an estimated fortune of £750 million ($1.2 billion) in 2009, although Justice Bennett, in his judgement on McCartney's divorce case found no evidence that McCartney was worth more than £400 million. In December 1998, he was approached to purchase a stake in Everton Football Club by former school friend Bill Kenwright who wished to put a consortium together but McCartney chose to decline the offer. In addition to his interest in Apple Corps, McCartney's MPL Communications owns a significant music publishing catalogue, with access to over 25,000 copyrights. McCartney earned £40 million in 2003, making him Britain's highest media earner. This rose to £48.5 million by 2005. In the same year he joined the top American talent agency Grabow Associates, who arrange private performances for their richest clients. Northern Songs was established in 1963, by Dick James, to publish the songs of Lennon–McCartney.

The Beatles' partnership was replaced in 1968 by a jointly held company, Apple Corps, which continues to control Apple's commercial interests. Northern Songs was purchased by Associated Television (ATV) in 1969, and was sold in 1985 to Michael Jackson. For many years McCartney was unhappy about Jackson's purchase and handling of Northern Songs.

MPL Communications is an umbrella company for McCartney's business interests, which owns a wide range of copyrights, as well as the publishing rights to musicals. In 2006, the Trademarks Registry reported that MPL had started a process to secure the protections associated with registering the name "Paul McCartney" as a trademark. The 2005 films, ''Brokeback Mountain'' and ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', feature MPL copyrights.

In April 2009, it was revealed that McCartney, in common with other wealthy musicians, had seen a significant decline in his net worth over the preceding year. It was estimated that his fortune had fallen by some £60m, from £238m to £175m. The losses were attributed to the ongoing global recession, and the resultant decline in value of property and stock market holdings.

Critique, recognition and achievements

McCartney is listed in ''The Guinness Book Of Records'' as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history with sales of 100 million singles and 60 gold discs, "Sir Paul McCartney became the Most Successful Songwriter who has written/co written 188 charted records, of which 91 reached the Top 10 and 33 made it to No.1 totalling 1,662 weeks on the chart (up to the beginning of 2008)."

In the US, McCartney has achieved thirty-two number-one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including twenty-one with The Beatles, one as a co-writer on Elton John's cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", nine solo, with Wings or other collaborators, and one as the composer of "A World Without Love", a number one single for Peter and Gordon. In the UK, McCartney has been involved in more number-one singles than any other artist under a variety of credits, although Elvis Presley has achieved more as a solo artist. McCartney has twenty four number-one singles in the UK, including seventeen with the Beatles, one solo, and one each with Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Band Aid 20 and one with "The Christians et all". McCartney is the only artist to reach the UK number one as a soloist ("Pipes of Peace"), duo ("Ebony and Ivory" with Stevie Wonder), trio ("Mull of Kintyre", Wings), quartet ("She Loves You", The Beatles), quintet ("Get Back", The Beatles with Billy Preston), and as part of a musical ensemble for charity (Ferry Aid).

McCartney was voted the "Greatest Composer of the Millennium" by BBC News Online readers and McCartney's song "Yesterday" is thought to be the most covered song in history with more than 2,200 recorded versions and according to the BBC, "The track is the only one by a UK writer to have been aired more than seven million times on American TV and radio and is third in the all-time list. Sir Paul McCartney's Yesterday is the most played song by a British writer this century in the US." After its 1977 release, the Wings single "Mull of Kintyre" became the highest-selling record in British chart history, and remained so until 1984. (Three charity singles have since surpassed it in sales; the first to do so, in 1984, was Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in which McCartney was a participant.)

On 2 July 2005, he was involved with the fastest-released single in history. His performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with U2 at Live 8 was released only 45 minutes after it was performed, before the end of the concert. The single reached number six on the ''Billboard'' charts, just hours after the single's release, and hit number one on numerous online download charts across the world. McCartney played for the largest stadium audience in history when 184,000 people paid to see him perform at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 21 April 1990.

McCartney's scheduled concert in St Petersburg, Russia was his 3,000th concert and took place in front of 60,000 fans in Russia, on 20 June 2004. Over his career, McCartney has played 2,523 gigs with The Beatles, 140 with Wings, and 325 as a solo artist. Only his second concert in Russia, with the first just the year before on Moscow's Red Square as the former Communist U.S.S.R. had previously banned music from The Beatles as a "corrupting influence", McCartney hired three jets, at a reported cost of $36,000 (€29,800) (£28,000), to spray dry ice in the clouds above Saint Petersburg's Winter Palace Square in a successful attempt to prevent rain.

The day McCartney flew into the former Soviet country, he celebrated his 62nd birthday, and after the concert, according to ''RIA Novosti'' news agency, he received a phone call from a fan; then-President Vladimir Putin, who telephoned him after the concert to wish him a happy birthday. In the concert programme for his 1989 world tour, McCartney wrote that Lennon received all the credit for being the avant-garde Beatle, and McCartney was known as "baby-faced", which he disagreed with. People also assumed that Lennon was the "hard-edged one", and McCartney was the "soft-edged" Beatle, although McCartney admitted to "bossing Lennon around." Linda McCartney said that McCartney had a "hard-edge" – and not just on the surface – which she knew about after all the years she had spent living with him. McCartney seemed to confirm this edge when he commented that he sometimes meditates, which he said is better than "sleeping, eating, or shouting at someone".

The minor planet 4148, discovered in 1983, was named "McCartney" in his honour.

On 18 June 2006, McCartney celebrated his 64th birthday, a milestone that was the subject of one of the first songs he ever wrote, at the age of sixteen, The Beatles' song "When I'm Sixty-Four". Paul Vallely noted in ''The Independent'': }}

McCartney received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 9 February 2012, the last one of the Fab Four to receive the honor.

McCartney received the MusiCares Person of the Year honour on 10 February 2012.

Discography

Tours

Arms

Notes	Sir Paul McCartney's agent was Hubert Chesshyre, LVO, Clarenceux King of Arms
Crest	On a Wreath of the Colours A Liver Bird calling Sable supporting with the dexter claws a Guitar Or stringed Sable.
Escutcheon	Or between two Flaunches fracted fesswise two Roundels Sable over all six Guitar Strings palewise throughout counterchanged.
Motto	ECCE COR MEUM (Behold my heart)
Previous versions	}}

Citations

References

External links

Paul McCartney's Animation Website

Paul McCartney Ecce Cor Meum audio Podcast

Paul McCartney: Financial Accounts

Category:1942 births Category:English-language singers Category:English male singers Category:English multi-instrumentalists Category:English pop singers Category:English rock bass guitarists Category:English rock guitarists Category:English rock pianists Category:English rock singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English vegetarians Category:Backing vocalists Category:20th-century classical composers Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Singers awarded knighthoods Category:Composers awarded knighthoods Category:Musicians awarded knighthoods Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Parlophone artists Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:The Beatles members Category:The Quarrymen members Category:Wings members Category:Living people Category:Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Category:Transcendental Meditation practitioners Category:People educated at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys Category:Silver Clef Awards winners Category:Animal rights advocates Category:MusiCares Person of the Year

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Name	Kelly Rowland
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kelendria Trene Rowland
Birth date	February 11, 1981
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, dance
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television personality
Years active	1997–present
Label	Columbia, Universal Motown, Universal Republic
Associated acts	Destiny's Child, Nelly, David Guetta
Website	}}

Kelly Rowland (born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981) is an American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American R&B; girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a solo artist, Rowland has sold four million albums and 18 million lead/featured singles worldwide.

Rowland began her solo career in 2002 with the release of her debut album ''Simply Deep'', which contained influences of alternative-R&B; and rock music. It included her joint worldwide number-one single "Dilemma" with rapper Nelly, as well as subsequent singles "Stole", "Can't Nobody" and "Train on a Track". Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Rowland released her second solo effort ''Ms. Kelly'' in 2007. Considerably less successful than its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". In 2009, Rowland scored her second number-one hit with French DJ David Guetta on his single, "When Love Takes Over". The song resulted into their 2010 joint single "Commander". This was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart and first offering from her third album ''Here I Am'' (2011). The album spawned five other singles, including the US R&B; number-one "Motivation", and the UK top-ten hit "Down for Whatever".

Apart from her work in music, Rowland has also launched a career in film and television. In 2002, she made her debut with guest stints on sitcom series such as ''The Hughleys'' and ''Taina'', prior to appearing in the big-screen movies like the horror film ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003) and the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'' (2004). In 2009, she served as the host of the first season of the Bravo competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. In 2011, Rowland joined the judging panel on the eighth series of the British reality television competition ''The X Factor''. Rowland's work has earned her several achievements, including four Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child. She has been honored by ASCAP and ''Essence'' magazine for her contributions to music.

Life and career

1981–1996: Early life and career beginnings

Kelendria Trene Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett. When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic. At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston. Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with friends Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members. West coast R&B; producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California. the biggest talent show on national TV at that time.

To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowles. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hair styling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B; girl groups of the time. They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.

1997–02: Breakthrough with Destiny's Child

Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, ''Men in Black''. The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'', in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", Jumpin' Jumpin' ", and "Say My Name," which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B; Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. ''The Writing's on the Wall'' sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, essentially becoming their breakthrough album.

thumb|upight|right|Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It. Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife. After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, ''Charlie's Angels''. It became their best-charting single, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.

Later that year, while Destiny's Child was completing their third album ''Survivor'', Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant's single "Separated" which reached the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Survivor, which channeled the turmoil the band underwent, spawned its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 663,000 units sold. To date, ''Survivor'' has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone. The album also spawned the number-one hit—"Bootylicious". After releasing their remix album, ''This Is the Remix'' (2002), the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.

2002–05: ''Simply Deep'', ''Destiny Fulfilled'' and group disbandment

150px|left|upight|thumb|Rowland in 2003. Still with Destiny's Child, Rowland teamed up with rapper Nelly in 2002 to record the chorus and bridge vocals on the track "Dilemma" for his album ''Nellyville''. Released as the album's second single, the song rose to one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide, and saw Rowland establishing herself as a solo artist, winning her a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and a Billboard Award the following year.

:Originally due in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, ''Simply Deep'', which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done. The album has a mixture of alternative-R&B; and rock music. Featuring production contribution by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock." Released stateside in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, ''Simply Deep'' peaked at number twelve on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US, where it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for more than 600,000 copies sold. Released to even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries, resulting into a worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies. In her review for ''Simply Deep'', Caroline Sullivan of ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Thanks to the ubiquitous 'Dilemma', a song that practically peeled off its clothes on the spot, Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé Knowles."

The album yielded three singles. "Stole", a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top ten, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date. Stateside, the song failed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", reaching the top thirty only. The album's second single, an up-tempo track entitled "Can't Nobody", charted significantly lower in the US, but enjoyed top twenty success throughout Australia and parts of Europe, where it became another top five hit on the UK Singles Chart. Final single "Train on a Track" was featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2003) but failed to chart or sell noticeably, except for the UK again, where it became her fourth consecutive top twenty entry.

After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'', released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records. In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg. In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled ''#1's'', including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including their final single "Stand Up for Love". Destiny's Child was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. According to ''Time'' magazine, they were recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.

That same year, Rowland was featured on American rapper Trina's single "Here We Go", the lead single of the ''Glamorest Life'' album (2005). The song peaked at number seventeen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, successfully becoming another top twenty entry in Finland, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom with the collaboration.

2007–08: ''Ms. Kelly''

Rowland's second solo album, ''Ms. Kelly'', was released in June 2007. Not as successful as its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". Originally entitled ''My Story'', the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final tracklisting "too full of midtempos and ballads." Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed ''Ms. Kelly'', including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don, who contributed to the single "Like This", a collaboration with rapper Eve, to the album. A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Upon its release, ''Ms. Kelly'' debuted at number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies. Outside the United States, the album widely failed to reprise the success of ''Simply Deep'', barely reaching the top forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the United Kingdom where it opened at number thirty-seven.

Rowland had been working on the conception of her second solo album on and off since 2004, with some of her early recordings — such as the Bryan Michael Cox-produced "Bad Habit" — even being used on the Destiny's Child's albums ''Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004) and ''Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta'' (2006). The album's first draft, entitled ''My Story'', saw her actually writing and recording with a wider range of well-known contemporary R&B; producers and artists as she wanted to go "in the urban, more R&B; route [in general]" with the album, involving Big Tank, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, and Robin Thicke. Female rappers Remy Ma and Shawnna also lent their voices to guest parts. Anxious to avoid hasty productions as on previous album ''Simply Deep'', Rowland took a wider role in the production of the album: she co-wrote the majority of the songs and shared ideas in which one to produce. "I wrote a lot on this record [...] and it's especially from me [to my fans]," she said of the album. "It's more R&B; [...] and it definitely has a feel-good vibe to it as well."

A few months before the scheduled release of ''My Story'' however, Rowland felt the album was not going into the direction she had previously envisioned, and thus, she asked to revamp the album. "It was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships," she said of the original track listing. "And I remember listening to the record, and I was just like, 'I don't want this to be too deep to where, you know, [I] lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit." Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including Mysto & Pizzi, Sean Garrett, Scott Storch, Polow da Don, and Eve.

In addition, the singer decided to rename the album. "I really put my heart and soul into this record," she said, "and not only am I excited that everyone's going to hear the music, I'm looking forward to people getting to hear the real me. That's the reason I called the album ''Ms. Kelly''. Because the title is all about respect, being an adult and that's how I feel about my life, and my music." Rowland cited former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles, and singers Brandy and Whitney Houston as major inspirations while recording her album.

In continued support of the album, Rowland released the album cuts "Ghetto" and "Work" as singles, respectively. While the Snoop Dogg-featured "Ghetto" underperformed stateside, the latter became a top ten hit in most European markets including France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2008, a reissued version of the album, branded ''Ms. Kelly Deluxe'', received a release. Its lead single is the previously unreleased Bobby Womack cover "Daylight", a collaboration with Travie McCoy (of alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes) that reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. By April 2008, ''Ms. Kelly'' had managed to sell just over 1.2 million copies worldwide. Also in 2008, Rowland recorded a single with French singer Nâdiya, an uptempo urban pop track entitled "No Future in the Past", for which a video was shot in Miami, Florida during July 2008.

2009–present: New management, label, ''Here I Am'' and fourth studio album

In February 2009, a duet with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro, entitled "Breathe Gentle", was released as a single and reached the top ten of the Italian Singles Chart and the Dutch Singles Chart. Also, in early 2009, Rowland ended her professional relationship with both manager Mathew Knowles and former label Columbia Records to explore other ventures. Her first step was the house collaboration "When Love Takes Over", the lead single of French DJ David Guetta's 2009 studio album ''One Love'', for which Rowland contributed vocals on three tracks. The song was released in April 2009 and saw major international success, peaking at number-one in several countries around the globe. The same year, it was announced that Rowland had drafted Jeff Rabhan as her new manager.

In 2010, Rowland signed up to record the MTN theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South African, "Everywhere You Go", featuring an all-star supergroup of international artists called Rhythm of Africa United. Rowland also continued touring Europe, Asia and Australia as a solo artist throughout late 2009 and early 2010, including a performance as one of the headlining acts of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party with George Michael also headlining. She was also part of the world tour Supafest, which took place in 2010, touring the major cities in the world.

Despite being without a label for almost one year, Rowland embarked on the recording sessions for her third studio album ''Here I Am'' and it was during one of these recording sessions that she caught the attention of label boss Sylvia Rhone which led to the signing of a new record deal with Universal Motown Records, and later switching to Universal Republic Records Since then she has been completing the project which Rowland described as containing a lot of "up-tempo tracks" and being "a mixture of different sounds that express me and where I'm at right now in my career". The album is known to include collaborations with David Guetta and Rico Love which includes the album's lead single "Commander". It was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In addition, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean and Ne-Yo with StarGate are respectively responsible for the American album's two U.S. lead singles, "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Grown Woman". The latter was later excluded from ''Here I Am'' due to the single not performing well on the U.S. charts. American record producer Jim Jonsin also contributed to the album and described Rowland's new sound as Donna Summer-esque, In December 2010, Rowland collaborated with Tinie Tempah on his single "Invincible," taken from his album ''Disc-Overy'' (2010). It reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. In addition, she reunited with rapper Nelly on the single "Gone" from his album entitled ''5.0'' (2010). She also appeared on Italian DJ Alex Gaudino's single "What a Feeling", released in March 2011.

In April 2011, Rowland released the song "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne, as the fourth overall single from ''Here I Am''. It topped the U.S. Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks. The U.S. version of ''Here I Am'' was released in July 2011. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, and number one on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 77,000 copies. To date, it is Rowland's highest debuting and charting album in the United States. In August 2011, Rowland was announced as the ambassador and spokesperson for Empress, the second perfume by Sean Combs. In December 2011, TW Steel unveiled Rowland as a worldwide ambassador Special Edition timepiece watches to follow in Summer 2012. As of December 2011, ''Here I Am'' has sold 178,000 copies in the US. "Lay It on Me" and "Down for Whatever" were released as the album's fifth and sixth overall singles, respectively. The international version of ''Here I Am'' was released on November 28, 2011 in the UK.

Work on Rowland's fourth album reportedly began in August 2011. Rico Love remarked in an interview with ''Rap-Up'' magazine, "While she's on tour, I'm gonna be writing records for her new album. We can kinda roll that out and drop her new single in late spring 2012. Excited about that". In an interview with MTV News, Rowland stated that the album will have a theme: "I made sure that I locked in on a concept and everyone that's come in to work on this album, we've all built around it. It's just building up so beautifully. I'm so proud! So I can't wait till all of my fans hear it." Rowland was honoured for her contribution to the music industry at ''Essence'' magazine's 2012 Black Women in Music event, which took place on February 8, 2012. Rowland's song, "Need a Reason", featuring rappers Future and Bei Major, appeared on the soundtrack of the upcoming film, ''Think Like a Man'' (2012). She was recently in Australia for the urban music festival, Supafest.

Musical style and influences

Rowland cites Whitney Houston as her greatest music inspiration, and after Houston's death she has declared:"I am beyond heartbroken..Whitney Houston was undoubtedly one of the greatest singers & performers of all time & such a huge influence on me..She embraced me when I first started out with Destiny's Child, with love, with encouragement and with that powerhouse voice". Beside "The Voice", Rowland cites among her great music influences Sade, Brandy and Janet Jackson too. For her second solo album she says was inspired by Beyoncé's energy. From the beginning of her career Rowland has always sung R&B; music, with influences hip hop, soul, pop and rock. As brought on her official website, beginning from 2008, with the remix of "Work ", produced by Freemasons, Rowland experiments a new sound, more directed to the dance music with influences europop and house. Notable her collaborations with djs David Guetta, Alex Gaudino and Diplo According american record producer Jim Jonsin in the Rowland's new sound there are many elements of Donna Summer's music.

Other ventures

Film and television career

Rowland branched out into acting with a guest stint on the sitcom ''The Hughleys'' in 2002, before appearing in other UPN shows such as ''Eve'' and ''Girlfriends'' in the years of 2003 and 2006 respectively. Having played the role of Tammy Hamilton, an ambitious 21-year-old apprentice to realtor Toni (Jill Marie Jones) in latter sitcom, Rowland initially hoped her three-episode stint would expand to a larger recurring role, but as the show was moved to The CW network the following year plans for a return eventually went nowhere. Also in 2003, she appeared in ''American Dreams'' as Martha Reeves of Martha & The Vandellas, singing a version of the group's single "Nowhere to Run".

In 2004, Rowland made her big screen debut in the slasher film ''Freddy vs. Jason'', a crossover film directed by Ronny Yu. Cast as one of the female leads, she portrayed Kia Waterson, the frank best friend of lead character Lori Campbell, played by Monica Keena. Released to generally mixed reviews from critics, the movie topped the U.S. box office, gaining $36.4 million on its first weekend. Budgeted at $25 million, the film became a financial success, resulting in a worldwide box office total of $114.3 million.

The following year, Rowland returned to the big screen, this time for a lead role in the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'', starring opposite Duane Martin and Shemar Moore. Executive produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film hit theaters in the summer of 2005 and debuted at number eighteen at the box office top twenty. It eventually earned a total domestic gross ticket sales of $10.2 million. In the film, for which she recorded two songs, Rowland played a pop star who falls for an awards-show seat filler in which she mistakes for a high-profile entertainment attorney. Released to a limited number of festivals only, the film went straight to DVD in 2006.

In October 2007, Rowland auditioned for the role of Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, in the 2008 film adaptation of HBO's comedy series ''Sex and the City''. The part eventually went to Jennifer Hudson. In fall 2007, Rowland appeared as a choirmaster on the NBC reality show ''Clash of the Choirs''. Rowland was among superstars like Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, and Blake Shelton. Rowland's choir finished fifth in the competition. In 2009, she was cast to host Bravo's reality competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. The series premiered on May 7, 2009.

On 30 May 2011, Rowland was confirmed as a judge for the eighth series of British television show ''The X Factor''. In addition to her judging stint, Rowland also had a supporting role in the motion picture ''Think Like a Man'' (2012) which was filmed earlier this year. The film also stars Keri Hilson, Chris Brown and Gabrielle Union. On 30 April 2012 it was officially announced that Rowland had stepped down as a judge on X Factor UK, due to a conflicting schedule.

Philanthropy

Rowland and the Knowles family founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston. Also in 2005, Rowland and Knowles lent their voices to a collaboration with Kitten K. Sera, entitled "All That I'm Lookin for." The song appeared on ''The Katrina CD'' album, whose proceeds went to the ''Recording Artists for Hope'' organization.

In 2006, Rowland joined other artists such as Pink and Avril Lavigne in ads for so-called empowerment tags for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign, which went on sale exclusively at ALDO stores and benefited the YouthAIDS initiative. In 2007, Rowland, along with stars such as Jessica Simpson and the cast of ''Grey's Anatomy'' autographed pink Goody Ouchless brushes that were made available for auction on eBay, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness. In addition, the singer teamed up with Kanye West, Nelly Furtado and Snoop Dogg to design a Nike sneaker for another eBay auction. All proceeds went to AIDS Awareness.

In 2008, Rowland officially became ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, which aims to reduce discrimination against HIV and AIDS victims. She has since visited projects in Tanzania and Kenya to promote the charity, and underwent a HIV and AIDS test in Africa to raise awareness of the deadly diseases. In March 2009, she spearheaded a bone marrow drive. As reported, Rowland also is readying a new charity called I Heart My Girlfriends, which will serve as an interactive support system for teenage girls.

In 2009, Rowland connected with Serve.MTV.com, MTV’s platform to connect young people with local volunteerism opportunities, for a series of on-air PSAs. From battling homelessness to beautifying impoverished neighborhoods to saving whales, Rowland was joined by the likes of Cameron Diaz, will.i.am, and Sean Kingston as they discuss causes they volunteer to support, and urge young people to join with their friends in making civil service a part of their lifestyle. Also in 2009, Rowland along with fellow singers Alesha Dixon and Pixie Lott created T-shirts for River Island in aid of the Prince's Trust, profits from which help change young lives. In March 2010 Rowland launched her brand new charity, I Heart My Girlfriends. According to Rowland’s official website, the charity focuses on self-esteem, date violence prevention, community service, abstinence, sports, drug and alcohol and smoking avoidance, obesity, disabilities, education and more. On April 26, 2010, she was at Grand Ballroom's "City of Hope — Spirit of Life Awards" for a charity event.

Discography

''Simply Deep'' (2002)

''Ms. Kelly'' (2007)

''Here I Am'' (2011)

Tours

Headlining

2003: Simply Deeper Tour

2007: Ms. Kelly Tour

Supporting

2010: Supafest

2011: F.A.M.E. Tour (as an opening act for North America)

2012: Supafest

Awards and nominations

A

American Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	Herself	Best R&B;/Soul Female Artist

ASCAP Women Behind the Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Outstanding Women in the Music Industry

B

Billboard Music Award

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"		Top R&B; Song

Billboard R&B;/Hip Hop Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Hot Rap Track of The Year

C

Capital FM Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"Dilemma" (With Nelly)	Favorite International Single

D

Danish DeeJay Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best International Club-Hit
Best International DeeJay Favorite

G

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"
Best R&B; Song
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"		Record of the Year
align=center	"Lose My Breath"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"
Best R&B; Song
	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
''Destiny Fulfilled''
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)
style="text-align:center;"	"Motivation" (feat. Lil Wayne)	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

I

International Dance Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best Pop Dance Track
Best House/Garage Track
Best Music Video
		Best R&B;/Urban Dance Track

M

MTV Europe Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)

MTV Video Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"Dilemma" (With Nelly)

MTV Video Music Awards Latin America

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	Best Live Performance at "Los Premios 2009"

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	Best Dance Video

N

NRJ Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	International Song of the Year

S

Soul Train Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best Dance Performance
Song of the Year
Herself	Best R&B;/Soul Artist

T

Teen Choice Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Choice Music Hip-Hop/R&B; Artist

TMF Awards Holland

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Best R&B; International artist
"Dilemma" (With Nelly)	Best Video International

W

World Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	World's Best Single

Filmography

''Freddy vs. Jason'' ''The Seat Filler'' ''The Goree Girls'' ''God Save My Shoes'' ''Think Like A Man'' ''Taina (TV series) ''American Dreams'' ''Girlfriends'' ''Single Ladies (TV series) ''The Fashion Show (U.S. TV series) ''The X Factor (UK TV series) ''Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business'' ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'' ''La La's Full Court Life''

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Cinema
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1999	''Beverly Hood''	Girl #2
2003	|	Kia Waterson	Supporting role
2004	|	Jhnelle	Lead role
2012	|	Jill	Supporting role
2012	|	Herself	Cameo appearance
2012	|	Brenda	Supporting Role
colspan="6" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Telefilms
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2002	''The Hughleys''	Carly
2002	Taina'' ||	Nicole	1 episode
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Martha Reeves	2 episodes
''Eve (TV series)	Eve''	Cleo
2006	|	Tammy Hamilton	3 episodes
rowspan="2"	2011	Single Ladies'' ||	DJ Denise Phillips	1 episode
''Bag of Bones (Stephen King Mini Series)''	Blues Singer
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2007	''Clash of the Choirs''	Judge
2009	The Fashion Show'' ||	Co-host	Reality series
2011	The X Factor'' (United Kingdom) ||	Judge	Talent show
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television guest appearances
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1997	''Smart Guy''	Herself
rowspan="7"	2010	|	Herself; Guest appearance	2 episodes
''The Spin Crowd''	Herself; Guest appearance
''When I Was 17'' Interview-like show, about what she did when she was 17	Herself; Guest appearance
''X Factor (Germany season 1)	X Factor Germany''	Herself; Mentor
''The X Factor (Australia season 2)	X Factor Australia''	Herself; Mentor
''La La's Full Court Wedding''	Herself; Guest Appearance
''The A-List: New York''	Herself; Guest Appearance
rowspan="2"	2011	|	Herself	Kim Kardashian>Kim's birthday)
''Keeping Up With The Kardashians''
rowspan="1"	2012	|	Herself; Guest Appearance	3 episodes

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American dancers Category:African American film actors Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:African American television personalities Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American philanthropists Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:Destiny's Child members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People from Sugar Land, Texas Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK)

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