Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
Edith Piaf is almost universally regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Still revered as an icon decades after her death, "the Sparrow" served as a touchstone for virtually every chansonnier, male or female, who followed her. Her greatest strength wasn't so much her technique, or the purity of her voice, but the raw, passionate... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s
Born into poverty in St. Louis, dancer and singer Josephine Baker progressed from vaudeville to New York theater to the Parisian cabaret scene and became the toast of Europe before the age of 21. Though her later career wasn't quite able to handle such an early peak, Baker spent much of her life working tirelessly against prejudice, during World... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s
The most exotic actress of the 1930s and '40s, Marlene Dietrich performed her cabaret act around the world and recorded for Decca, Columbia and Capitol in the post-war period, after her film career had slowed. A thick German accent and her odd sung-spoken vocal style proved no barrier to international popular success and adoration. Born near... [+] Read More
