Diana Ross scored her first solo No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1970 with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” proving she could succeed outside of The Supremes. LOS ANGELES – 1987: Singer Diana Ross poses for a portrait in 1987 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
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Diana Ross enjoyed one of the longest careers of any female musician on the Billboard charts. She racked up an astounding 12 No. 1s on the Hot 100 with The Supremes and then another half-dozen on her own. That sum makes her one of the greatest hitmakers of all time.
Amidst all of her commercial success, there was a moment when Ross took a major risk. After years fronting The Supremes — even as Diana Ross & The Supremes — she wanted to go out on her own. In 1970, that ambition came true as she released her debut solo album, the simply-titled Diana Ross. She needed a hit, and she got it with the unflappable “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Diana Ross Hit No. 1 with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
On the Hot 100 dated September 19, 1970, Ross reached No. 1 with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Hers was not the original version, or even the take that the American public was already familiar with, but it became one of the most successful tracks in her catalog. The tune needed only a few weeks to soar to the summit and prove Ross could produce smashes without her bandmates.
Three Weeks at No. 1 and a Pivotal Transition
Three years after Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell turned “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” into a hit, Ross managed to do the same. The track ruled the Hot 100 for three weeks in the fall of 1970, taking over from the charged “War” by Edwin Starr and handing the reins to Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie.”
The song became the first of Ross’s six solo champions on the Hot 100, which were spread out across more than a decade. It would be several years before she even returned to the top 10 on her own with “Touch Me in the Morning” (which also reached No. 1), and her reign continued throughout the ’70s and into the early ’80s.
Diana Ross Reinvented Herself
The triumph of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” wasn’t just that Ross returned to No. 1. The song showed she could mine the past and make a composiotion her own while trying new things. Her arrangement included spoken word passages and gospel influences that were not hugely popular at the time, but which found new favor in the cut’s wake.
The single remains one of her most successful and instantly familiar, even though she wasn’t the first artist — nor even the first woman — to earn a smash with the tune.
What Followed for Diana Ross
Diana Ross produced only two singles, and she quickly moved on to her next full-length Surrender, which also yielded several tunes. Just before “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” arrived, Ross released “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” her first official solo single. While it climbed to No. 20 on the Hot 100, it wasn’t the breakout smash she was seeking.
Going solo can be tricky for anyone who first found fame in a group, but “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” proved Ross had the vocal chops, stage presence, and guts to assert her own voice after years of blending with others.