“Attain Out and Contact (Any person’s Hand)” was the debut solo single of Motown singer Diana Ross, launched in April 1970.

Ross, having simply left The Supremes after a decade of serving as that group’s lead singer, went by means of a troublesome scenario attempting to piece a solo album collectively. With Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson writing and producing for her, and Paul Riser arranging, Ross recorded “Attain Out and Contact”, which carried a heavy gospel affect, and was one of many few songs the singer recorded to precise her social conscience, beforehand experimented with Supremes singles equivalent to “Love Youngster” and “I’m Livin’ in Disgrace.”

“Attain Out and Contact” peaked at #20 on the Billboard Scorching 100, #10 on the Money Field High 100, and #7 on the R&B charts with 500,000 copies offered. It was additionally a success in Nice Britain, making #33 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1970. Whereas the tune’s preliminary success fell wanting expectations, “Attain Out and Contact” turned one in every of Ross’ hottest and notable songs. Throughout her live performance performances of the tune, Ross typically had the entire crowd flip to their neighbors, and “attain out and contact” their fingers.

On Saturday, July 28, 1984 Vicki McClure sang “Attain Out and Contact” earlier than an estimated TV viewers of two.5 billion individuals through the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Summer season Olympic Video games held in Los Angeles, CA.

Ashford and Simpson would carry out the tune with Teddy Pendergrass within the Philadelphia portion of Stay Support in 1985. In 2005, Ross would carry out the tune in closing, Tsunami Support: A Live performance of Hope.

In 1970, the identical 12 months that Diana launched “Attain Out and Contact” as her first solo single, satirically the tune was additionally coated by the group that she had simply left firstly of that 12 months, The Supremes (now fronted by Jean Terrell, together with different members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong).

The Supremes’ model was a duet with fellow Motown Information artists The 4 Tops on the 2 group’s joint album “The Magnificent Seven,” launched by Motown towards the top of 1970. In one in every of her autobiographies, Mary Wilson talked about that some followers on the post-Ross Supremes’ live shows used to name out requesting that The Supremes would sing this report stay, as some followers erroneously recalled that it had been The Supremes’ model, and never Ross’s, that had charted as a success Billboard single in early ’70.

She additionally carried out this tune because the finale for the Nobel Peace Prize Live performance held in Oslo, Norway, in 2008. Supply