Claim: Diana Ross was given the title of the most successful female performing artist of all time.

Diane Ernestine Earle Ross -LRB- born March 26 , 1944 -RRB- is an American singer , songwriter , actress , and record producer . Born and raised in Detroit , Michigan , Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes , which , during the 1960s , became Motown 's most successful act , and is to this day the United States ' most successful vocal group , as well as one of the world 's best-selling girl groups of all time . Ross ' success as lead singer of The Supremes made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul acts to find mainstream success . The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 , including `` Where Did Our Love Go '' , `` Baby Love '' , `` Come See About Me '' , `` Stop ! In the Name of Love '' , `` You Ca n't Hurry Love '' , `` You Keep Me Hangin ' On '' , `` Love Child '' , and `` Someday We 'll Be Together '' .   Following her departure from The Supremes in 1970 , Ross released her eponymous debut solo album that same year , which contained the Top 20 Pop hit `` Reach Out and Touch -LRB- Somebody 's Hand -RRB- '' and the number-one Pop hit `` Ai n't No Mountain High Enough '' . She later released the album Touch Me in the Morning in 1973 ; its title track reached number 1 , as her second solo hit . That same year , her album `` Lady Sings The Blues '' , which was the original soundtrack of her film based on the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday , went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart , selling more than 300,000 copies within its first 8 days of release . By 1975 , the Mahogany soundtrack included her third number-one hit , `` Theme from Mahogany -LRB- Do You Know Where You 're Going To -RRB- '' . Her eponymous 1976 album included her fourth number-one hit , `` Love Hangover '' . In 1979 , Ross released the album The Boss . Her 1980 semi-eponymous album Diana reached number 2 on the US Billboard albums chart , and spawned the number-one hit `` Upside Down '' , and the international hit `` I 'm Coming Out '' . After leaving Motown , Ross achieved her sixth and final US number-one Pop hit , with the duet `` Endless Love '' , composed for the Brooke Shields film of the same name , by and performed with former Commodores front man , Lionel Richie . Ross and Richie performed the song on the telecast for the 54th Academy Awards , where the song was nominated in the category of `` Best Song '' .   Ross has also ventured into acting , with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award-nominated performance for her performance in the film Lady Sings the Blues -LRB- 1972 -RRB- . She also starred in two other films , Mahogany -LRB- 1975 -RRB- and The Wiz -LRB- 1978 -RRB- , later acting in the television films Out of Darkness -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , for which she also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award , and Double Platinum -LRB- 1999 -RRB- . Ross was named the `` Female Entertainer of the Century '' by Billboard magazine . In 1993 , the Guinness Book of World Records declared 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 70 hit singles with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist . Ross has sold more than 100 million records worldwide , when her releases with the Supremes and as a solo artist are tallied . In 1988 , Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as member of the Supremes , alongside Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard . She was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 , and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 . She is a 12-time Grammy nominee , never earning a competitive honor , but later became the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 . In December 2016 , Billboard magazine named her the 50th most successful dance artist of all time .