Singer-songwriter Rhonda Ross honors parents’ legacy
ATLANTA - Her father changed the course of popular music when he created Motown Records and her mother is one of the most influential singers and entertainers in history. Now, singer-songwriter Rhonda Ross — daughter of Berry Gordy Jr. and Diana Ross — is in Atlanta to celebrate the legacy of her family and other Black entertainment pioneers.
This morning, we spent some time with Rhonda Ross, who is representing her father at the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame induction ceremony in Atlanta. Berry Gordy Jr. is a true music pioneer, a Detroit-native who took an $800 loan in 1959 and used it to create Motown Records, one of the most iconic labels in music history and the launching pad for superstar artists including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross. Along with his induction to Atlanta's Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (located just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Gordy was a recipient at the 44th Kennedy Center Honors in 2021.
Rhonda Ross followed her parents into the entertainment industry, first as an Emmy-nominated actress on the soap opera "Another World" and then as a jazz singer-songwriter. Ross released the acclaimed album "In Case You Didn’t Know" in 2016, and recently wrote two songs featured on her mother’s album "Thank You," released in November 2021. She’s performed here in Atlanta several times, including at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in 2019 and opening for her mother at The Fox Theatre in early 2020.
To read more about Rhonda Ross, click here — and click the video player in this article to check out our morning with the artist!