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

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

, Rufus, the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' Ronnie Wood, Meat Loaf and

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

Personal life

Silberstein was born into a wealthy family of Jewish garment manufacturers in Elberon, New Jersey. He graduated from West Virginia University and tried teaching. Silberstein was married to

from 1971 to 1977. They have two daughters together and Diana Ross has one daughter from a previous relationship: Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Chudney Ross. Rhonda, whose biological father is Motown founder Berry Gordy, was born a few months after the marriage began, and Silberstein knowingly adopted her as his own. Silberstein’s family came from a Jewish background. Upon graduating from West Virginia University, he took up teaching at the same school but had to quit the job because of some issues with the principal there. He then entered the music industry.

Professional career

In the 1970s, he managed

; the

' Ronnie Wood;

; and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, whom he discovered while managing Rufus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis Silberstein, Robert 1943 births Living people 20th-century American Jews American music industry executives Businesspeople from New York City Silberstein family 21st-century American Jews