Episode 11: Diana Ross: "My first performance was in Church"

Loading player...
Today, Diana Ross turns 82 — and few artists have shaped popular music quite like she has.

From a little girl in Detroit’s Brewster housing projects to Motown royalty, movie stardom and a solo career packed with global hits, Ross didn’t just perform the soundtrack of an era — she helped create it.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny has more...
26 Mar English South Africa Music

Other recent episodes

Episode 19: Janet Jackson: "I wanted to stand on my own two feet"

Today, one of the most influential women in pop music turns 60. For five decades, Janet Jackson has turned pain, control, vulnerability and sheer determination into some of the most defining music — and choreography — of the modern era. From Control and Rhythm Nation to Nasty and Together Again…
16 May 2 min

Episode 18: Stevie Wonder: "I wanted to be where the music was"

Today, one of the most influential musicians of the modern era celebrates his 76th birthday. Blind since infancy, Stevie Wonder turned extraordinary hardship into extraordinary art — creating some of the most joyful, political and beloved music ever recorded. HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look…
13 May 2 min

Episode 17: Bono: "Celebrity reverses God's order"

Today, one of the most recognisable voices in music — and one of its most relentless activists — turns 66. From the streets of Dublin to stadiums around the world, Bono has spent nearly five decades trying to prove that rock music can do more than entertain… it can change…
10 May 3 min

Episode 16: Billy Joel: "Life experience gave me lyrics"

Today, one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the last half-century celebrates his 77th birthday. Billy Joel built a career turning heartbreak, family wounds and the messiness of ordinary life into songs that millions of people still know by heart. HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look…
9 May 3 min