Robert Ellis Silberstein | |
|---|---|
 Silberstein in 2014 | |
| Born | January 5, 1946 Elberon, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Other names | Bob Ellis |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Tracee Ellis Ross and Rhonda Ross Kendrick |
Robert Ellis Silberstein (also known as Bob Ellis; born January 5, 1946) is an American music executive and businessman. During his career, he managed many musicians, including his ex-wife Diana Ross, Billy Preston, Rufus, the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood, Meat Loaf and Status Quo. [1]
Silberstein was born into a family of Jewish garment manufacturers in Elberon, New Jersey. [2] [3] [4] He graduated from West Virginia University and earned a teaching degree.
Bob moved to Los Angeles in late 1969 or early 1970 and met Diana Ross by chance two months later. While both in a men's shop, Diana asked Bob for help picking out a gift for her then-partner, Motown Industries chairman Berry Gordy. [5]
Though he never managed his wife, he managed the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood; Billy Preston; Meat Loaf; and Chaka Khan, whom he discovered while managing Rufus. [6] [7] [8] [9]
In 2018, he was associated with the short-lived movie ticket subscription startup, MoviePass, and was subsequently named in a lawsuit citing unlawful gender discrimination and sexual harassment. [10] [11]
Silberstein was married to Diana Ross from 1971 to 1977. [8] They have two daughters together, Tracee Ellis Ross and Chudney Ross. [12] Diana Ross has one daughter from a previous relationship, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, whose biological father is Motown founder Berry Gordy, and who was born a few months after Silberstein and Ross married. Silberstein knowingly adopted her as his own.