The archetypal sex kitten, Brigitte Bardot was the first foreign-language star ever to attain a level of international success comparable to America's most popular homegrown talents. While the vast majority of her motion pictures failed to rank even remotely close to the best of her native France's prodigious New Wave-era output, they proved a... [+] Read More

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Usually thought of as a middle-of-the-road popular singer, Françoise Hardy -- at the beginning of her career, at least -- covered more stylistic ground and owed more debts to pop/rock than she's given credit for. Immensely popular in her native France, the chanteuse first displayed her breathy, measured vocals in the early and mid-'60s. Her... [+] Read More

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The most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her very first release, "It's My Party," in 1963. Produced by Quincy Jones, who fattened the teenager's sound with double-tracked vocals and intricate backup vocals and horns, she reeled off a few more big hits in... [+] Read More

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Little Peggy March, age 15 years old, only ever had one big hit during her decade with RCA Records, but that song, "I Will Follow Him," spent three weeks at the number one spot on the charts and even topped the R&B charts for a week as well. It pretty well helped define the early girl-group sound, as much as the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack"... [+] Read More

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British singer Sandie Shaw had a string of girl group-styled singles in the mid-'60s before she retired in the early '70s. Shaw was discovered by pop singer Adam Faith in 1963, who led her to his manager, Eve Taylor; she released her debut single, "As Long as You're Happy," the following year. It didn't hit the charts, yet her next record,... [+] Read More

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Sheila (born Annie Chancel) was one of the more successful of the numerous young "ye-ye" girls to enjoy success with cheerfully insipid pop/rock in France in the early and mid-'60s. As little of her extensive discography is easy to find in the U.S., it's hard to make conclusive judgments about the scope of her artistic sweep. What you're likely... [+] Read More

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Shelley Fabares is one -- and maybe the best -- of a handful of young actresses/singers who emerged from the end of the 1950s through the mid-'60s, in an attempt to extend television stardom into action on the pop charts. Most didn't last, and none made the impact of their rivals, the singers who tried acting (Connie Francis, Sandy Stewart,... [+] Read More

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Although actor/pop singer Sylvie Vartan is Bulgarian, she would eventually receive recognition from the French, usually singing entirely in the language of her adopted homeland. Born August 15, 1944, in Iskretz, Bulgaria, Vartan showed great talent for both acting and singing at an early age, resulting in an appearance in the Bulgarian film... [+] Read More

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