Aretha Franklin had the pipes, but Diana Ross had the flair. Diana's style, her ability to inhabit a song without seeming too much like she was acting, and her hauteur made her every bit an icon as Aretha, maybe the premiere black female icon of the 1960s — Diana inspired as many singers, and a lot more designers. If the latter seems like a negligible constituency, look a little harder at showbiz. It isn't, at all.

Diana, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson grew up in Detroit's Brewster Projects and formed as the Primettes, female counterparts of the Primes, who would become the Temptations. Big-voiced Flo was the group's natural lead, but soon after the newly-named Supremes joined Motown, label head Berry Gordy put Diana, the fashion plate, in front. The world, as it turned out, agreed.

Early Supremes singles stomped like most Motown did, often deliciously — Ross's girlish pipes sounded great over uptempo tracks like "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," the group's 1963 breakthrough with writer-producer team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland. HDH also helmed the trio's stunning mid '60s run of #1 singles, starting with 1964's "Where Did Our Love Go," featuring boxy,… read more »