Barbra Streisand, The #20 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Four

 

(Continued from Part Three)

 The compilation Memories in 1981 has now sold over five million units in the U.S. alone.  Barbra recorded the new song "Comin' In And Out Of Your Life", a #2 AC hit that peaked at #11 on the Popular chart.  





Streisand certainly gave a memorable performance on "Memory", the standout song in the Broadway musical Cats.






Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major film with the movie Yentl in 1983.  From that movie, Streisand released the single "The Way He Makes Me Feel", another #1 Adult smash.

In 1984, Streisand released the album Emotion, which went Platinum.  She received the Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer at the People's Choice Awards.   

 

In 1985, Barbra released The Broadway Album, which reached #1 for three weeks in the U.S. and #1 in New Zealand and has sold over four million copies.  Streisand won a Grammy for Best Female Vocalist and the album was also nominated for Album of the Year.  "Somewhere" features an incredible vocal performance by Barbra.

Streisand also included a cover of Judy Collins' song "Send In The Clowns".

Life magazine named Barbra as one of "Five Hollywood's Most Powerful Women".

The following year, Barbra released the album One Voice, which earned Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Music Video Performance, and in 1988 the album Till I Loved You, another Platinum release that reached #10.

Streisand was named as the All-Time Favorite Musical Performer at the People's Choice Awards.  In the next several years, Streisand focused almost exclusively on movie directing.  She did release the compilation A Collection:  Greatest Hits...and More in 1989, which went Double Platinum, and the box set Just for the Record in 1991, which was certified Platinum.

She did benefit concerts for presidential candidate Bill Clinton, but did not record new material.  In 1992, Barbra was given the Grammy Legend Award, the Commitment to Life Award by AIDS Project Los Angeles and the Bill of Rights Award by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.  She released her first studio album in five years in 1993 with Back to Broadway, which debuted at #1 on the Album chart and has now sold over two million copies.

Barbra received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and her second Broadway album received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, while the song "Ordinary Miracles" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  In 1994, Barbra went on a multi-city tour for the first time in 27 years, and tickets were sold out in under an hour.  Streisand appeared on the cover of Time magazine, which proclaimed the tour as "the music event of the century".  

The concert series was the top-grossing concert of the year and earned Barbra five Emmy Awards and the Peabody Award.  The recorded broadcast on HBO was the highest-rated concert special in HBO's 30-year history and earned Barbra Grammy nominations for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for the album.

Streisand was honored with the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award from ASCAP in 1994 and the Peabody Award in 1995, the same year Barbra received an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from Brandeis University.   

Streisand and actor James Brolin became romantically involved, which led to their marriage in 1998.  In 1996, Barbra teamed up with Bryan Adams for the song "I Finally Found Someone" from Streisand's self-directed film The Mirror Has Two Faces.  It peaked at #2 on the AC chart and #8 overall, won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture and was nominated for an Oscar in the same category.

In 1997, Barbra released the album Higher Ground, which also debuted at #1 and went Triple Platinum.  The great duet "Tell Him" featuring Streisand and Celine Dion reached #5 on the AC chart.

Both duets (with Adams and with Dion) were nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the Grammy Awards.

Barbra married actor James Brolin on July 1, 1998.  Streisand was voted as the "Most Popular Singer among Adult Americans of All Ages" in a poll conducted in 1998 by the Harris organization.  Barbra was further honored when her song "People" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Streisand released the album A Love Like Ours in 1999, a #6 album which has also sold over one million copies.  She performed on New Year's Eve, with the two-disc live album entitled Timeless:  Live in Concert released in 2000, which was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards.  Barbra performed two concerts in Los Angeles and two in New York in 2000, which she announced would be her last.

In 2000, President Clinton awarded Streisand the National Medal of Arts, the highest award for achievement in the arts, and the Library of Congress Living Legend Award.  Barbra was also named the century's best female singer in a Reuters/Zogby poll.

In 2001, Streisand released the album Christmas Memories (another Platinum album), the compilations The Essential Barbra Streisand (which went Platinum) and Duets (certified Gold) in 2002, and The Movie Album in 2003, which reached Gold status.  Both Christmas Memories and The Movie Album were nominated at the Grammys for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. 

In 2004, The Barbra Streisand Album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the American Film Institute included four of Streisand's songs in their feature 100 Years...100 Songs, which celebrated "America's Greatest Music in the Movies":  "The Way We Were" at #8, "People" at #13, "Evergreen" at #16 and "Don't Rain On My Parade" at #46.

Barbra received the Humanitarian Award from the Human Rights Campaign in 2004 "for her years of leadership, vision, and activism in the fight for civil liberties, including religion, race, gender equality and freedom of speech, as well as all aspects of gay rights".  

Barbra and Barry Gibb collaborated again in 2005 with their Gold album Guilty Pleasures.  In 2006, Streisand and Tony Bennett recorded "Smile", which was included on Bennett's album Duets, and the pair performed live on the special Tony Bennett:  An American Classic.

Later that year, Streisand decided to tour again to raise money for issues she cared about.  She performed 20 concerts that grossed over $92 million and set house records in 14 of the 16 arenas she sang in.  Barbra released the album Live in Concert 2006, which featured performances from the tour and debuted at #7--it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  

The following year, Streisand toured Europe for the first time with 10 shows, and her 2006 and 2007 concerts made her the #2-earning female musician according to Forbes magazine, with $60 million in gross earnings.

In 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy awarded Streisand with Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France, while U.S. President  George W. Bush presented her with Kennedy Center Honors, the highest recognition of cultural achievement.

Streisand's song "The Way We Were" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2009, Barbra appeared on the CBS special Streisand:  Live in Concert, featuring her show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2006.  Later that year, Streisand's show in New York City's Greenwich Village was released on DVD as One Night Only:  Barbra Streisand and Quartet at The Village Vanguard.

Barbra was induced into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009.  Streisand chose Diana Krall to produce her next album, Love is the Answer, which went Gold and debuted at #1, making Barbra the only artist in history to enjoy #1 albums in five different decades.  Streisand was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards.

In 2010, Streisand joined over eighty other artists to record the song "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", with proceeds benefitting the island nation which had suffered a devastating earthquake earlier in the year. 

In 2011, Streisand was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year and given the Board of Governors Humanitarian Award for "her work on behalf of women's heart health and her many other philanthropic activities" by Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.  She released the album What Matters Most, which gave her another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2014, Barbra released the album Partners, which sold over one million copies in the U.S. alone and gave Streisand her 10th #1 album and making Streisand the only recording artist to enjoy a #1 album in each of the last six decades.  The album, which was nominated for the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, featured collaborations with Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, John Legend, and more.

Barbra received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast in 2014.  She received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 from President Barack Obama.  Streisand was also featured on the Voices of the Century by BBC, VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All-Time", and the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.

In 2016, Streisand released the album Encore:  Movie Partners Sing Broadway and in 2018, the album Walls.  Both received Grammy nominations for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2017, Streisand's song "People" was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Recording Registry. 

Barbra has raised over $25 million for organizations through her live performances.  The Streisand Foundation, which she established in 1986, has contributed over $16 million through nearly 1,000 grants to "national organizations working to preserve the environment, voter education, the protection of civil liberties and civil rights, women's issues, and nuclear disarmament.

Barbra was the first and remains one of few people to receive an Emmy, a Grammy, and Oscar and a Tony Award.  She has won 10 Grammy Awards among 43 nominations including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award, two Academy Awards, five Emmy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Streisand has sold over 68 million albums in the U.S. alone and 145 million worldwide. She has achieved 52 Gold, 31 Platinum, and 14 Multi-Platinum albums, more than any other female singer in history in all three categories.  Streisand holds the female record for most #1 albums with 11 and most Top 10 albums with 34.  She has scored #1 albums in each of the last six decades, the only person to achieve that feat.

Barbra has scored 42 career hits, with 11 of those reaching the Top 10 and 5 #1's.  She is another of the world's most popular and successful all-time artists among adults, charting 64 career hits on the AC chart.  An amazing 33 of those have gone to the Top 10 and Streisand has 8 #1 songs among adults.

Barbra Streisand, The #20 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

In 1975, Streisand released the album Lazy Afternoon and followed that up with the release of the album Classical Barbra in 1976.  Both albums went Gold, and Barbra was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance at the Grammy Awards for the latter album.

 Barbra starred in the remake of A Star Is Born, and asked Paul Williams, who had written hits for the Carpenters and Three Dog Night, to  help her with the theme song.  Because the song had to be performed on camera, it was written before filming began.  "She sat down and played on a guitar the melody for 'Evergreen' that she'd written, Williams told Songfacts.  "It was just such a beautiful melody," he continued.  "I said, 'There's your love song.  There's the big love song.'  I asked her for the melody.  She put it on tape for me, and I took it home." 
The theme song from the movie ("Evergreen") became one of Streisand's biggest career hits, reaching #1 in the U.S. and Canada and selling over two million copies.  It is another of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Streisand won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance, and she was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Original Score - Motion Picture or Television Special.  "Evergreen" also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.
 In 1976, Streisand received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Superman in 1977 became Streisand's first Top 10 album since The Way We Were in 1974, and sold over four million copies.  The single "My Heart Belongs To Me" was originally considered for A Star Is Born but didn't make that project.  It gave her another #1 Adult hit that reached #4 overall.

 Barbra released the album Songbird in 1978, which went Platinum and yielded her fifth Adult #1 hit, the title song.  
Streisand received the Woman of Achievement in the Arts award by the Anti-Defamation League in 1978. 

Later in the year, released the compilation Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume Two, a #1 album which has sold over five million copies. 
 
Streisand and former classmate Neil Diamond each released versions of the song "You Don't Bring Me Flowers on their respective albums.  An enterprising DJ spliced the two versions together as a duet.  That edited version received so many requests that Columbia (which happened to employ both superstars) was forced to bring Barbra and Neil into the recording studio to record the song as a single.  




 The song rocketed up to #1 on both the AC and Popular charts and sold over two million copies, and it earned nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for Streisand.  Barbra starred in the movie The Main Event, and her title song shot up to #3.

 The album Wet in 1979 reached #7 and also sold over one million copies.  Streisand and fellow superstar Donna Summer agreed to record a duet for the album.  According to songwriter Paul Jabara, the session was not a case of dueling divas, as was speculated, but he did admit that the two seemed intimidated by each other.  

"There was Streisand, hands flaring, and Donna, throwing her head back," Jabara told Us magazine, "and they're both belting, sparking each other.  It was a songwriter's dream."   Barbra's duet with Summer sold over two million copies and went to #1--"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)".
 Another release from the album, "Kiss Me In The Rain", hit #9 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
 At the conclusion of the 70's, Streisand was the most successful female singer in the United States, as only Elvis Presley and the Beatles had sold more albums.





 Barry Gibb, who with his brothers in the Bee Gees were also coming off an incredible decade, joined Barbra for the highly successful album Guilty in 1980.  Gibb and his brothers wrote all the music and produced the album.  The lead single "Woman In Love" reached #1 in every major country in the world and sold over two million copies.





 The smash hit received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Streisand and Gibb's title song made it to #3 and scored a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Duo, Group, or Chorus.

 Guilty has sold over five million albums in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide.  It earned another Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.   Streisand and Gibb teamed for this #1 smash on the AC chart that peaked at #10 overall--"What Kind Of Fool". 





 Guilty went to #1 in every major country in the world.  "Promises" from the album is one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*; although it made it to #8 on the Adult chart, it stalled at #48 overall.
Join us for Part Four of Barbra!

Barbra Streisand, The #20 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

From 1965 to 1968, Streisand starred in four television specials.  In 1966, Streisand the album Color Me Barbra and Je m'appelle Barbra, which both went Gold and continued her streaks of seven consecutive Top 10 albums and seven straight Gold albums.  The former was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards.

 In 1967, the album Simply Streisand went Gold but peaked at #12 to end her consecutive Top 10 albums streak.  This song was published in 1929 and introduced in the Broadway musical Great Day.  This is "More Than You Know".





 Later in the year, Barbra released A Christmas Album, which has sold over five million copies to date and continued her streak of consecutive Gold albums at nine.  The album contains three versions that have become among the best of all-time for their respective songs.  "Silent Night" is a standout.





 This standard was part of a poem called The Lady of the Lake, which was written in 1810 by Sir Walter Scott.  Famed composer Franz Shubert put music to the words and "Ave Maria" was born.  Barbra delivered another outstanding performance on the album.





 She also was magnificent on "The Lord's Prayer".

In 1968, she received the Israel Freedom Medal, the highest civilian award of Israel, and Barbra was nominated for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance for the "Funny Girl" Soundtrack at the Grammy Awards.   Her studio release of What About Today in 1969 ended the streak of consecutive albums to go Gold.  

In 1970, Barbra received an honorary "Star of the Decade" at the Tony Awards and her Greatest Hits package went Double Platinum. 
 In 1971, Streisand released the album Stoney End.  The album has sold over one million copies, while the title song reached #2 on the Adult chart and #6 Popular in the U.S. and #5 in Canada.






Barbra was nominated for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for "Sweet Inspiration/ Where You Lead".

Streisand starred with Ryan O'Neal in one of the top comedies of all-time, What's Up Doc, in 1972.  Barbra released her album Barbra Joan Streisand later in the year, which was certified Gold.  In 1973, Streisand released the album Barbra Streisand...And Other Musical Instruments.

 The following year Barbra released the album The Way We Were, from the movie in which she starred in opposite Robert Redford.  The title song hit #1 in both the U.S. and Canada and sold over two million copies.  It remains high in the list of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.





"All In Love Is Fair" is one of the gems on the great Stevie Wonder album Innervisions.  We want to feature Streisand's version here.






 The husband and wife team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who wrote "The Way We Were" among many others, also wrote this song along with Michel Legrand for the 1969 movie The Happy Ending.  It is another of Streisand's great interpretations--"What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?"
Streisand received Favorite Female Singer of the Year at the People's Choice Awards.  Later in the year, she released the album ButterFly.
Much more from Barbra!

Barbra Streisand, The #20 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"The greatest female singer of all-time; simply angelic."

"Her voice is not of this world.  What a gift."

"She takes us on an incredible journey.  What a joy."

"Barbra Streisand is one of the greatest vocalists ever.  Her tone, her vocal control, her vibrato, her power, her phrasing, her incredible, phenomenal voice.  She is a one of a kind."

"No one can hold a note like Barbra."

"Treasurable voice."

"She is outrageously talented."

"This is a woman in complete control of her beautiful instrument."

"This is how I imagine angels would sing to us."

"She sings with so much passion, love and such strength."

"Barbra takes me to another place.  Tears.  Goosebumps."

"Oh the sheer delight in listening to Ms. Streisand...an absolute honour.  Thank you for bringing joy to my soul and happiness to my heart."

"She stands out as one of the greatest singers of all-time."

"Barbra is magical!"

"Best voice I ever heard, range unequalled, interpretation masterful."

"She gives me chills when she sings."

"Pure perfection."

"A legendary talent."

"She is absolutely amazing."

"One of the best female artists and one of the best artists period."

"Great music causes a physical reaction.  A literal chill goes up my spine when she hits the high notes."

"She is phenomenal!"

"Greatest voice of all-time, male or female.  No one else compares."

"Simply stunning."

"She is God's gift to this earth.  There will never be another like her."

"One of the most talented human beings in history."

"She is just amazing."

"Oh my.  THAT voice!"

She is one of only a handful of artists who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.  Had she focused exclusively on music, she would likely rank much higher.  But this multi-talented superstar's main love has always been movies.

Barbara Streisand (she later dropped the second "a") was born April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York.  Just a few months after Barbra's first birthday, her father died at the age of 34 after suffering an epileptic seizure.  Afterwards, her mother struggled to keep the family above poverty.    Barbara first went to the Jewish Orthodox Yeshiva of Brooklyn and then Public School 89.  

Streisand practiced singing in the hallway of her apartment building.  She performed in public for the first time at a PTA assembly, and was invited to sing at weddings, and even auditioned for MGM Records when she was just nine.  During a family trip to the Catskills in 1955, Barbara recorded a four-song demo tape with her mother, who herself sang semi-professionally at times. 

As much as she loved singing, Streisand aspired to be an actress.  She saw her first Broadway play, The Diary of Anne Frank, when she was 14.  Barbara began studying the biographies of stage actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse and studying acting theories of Michael Chekhov and Konstantin Stanislavski.

Streisand was an honor student at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, singing in choir with Neil Diamond.  Barbara was a walk-on at the Playhouse in Malden Bridge, New York in 1957.  She soon appeared in Picnic and Desk Set.  As a senior, Streisand co-starred with Joan Rivers in the play Driftwood.

After graduation at the age of 16, Streisand moved out on her own and continued to try out for parts on stage in New York City.  While working as an usher at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, the stage version of The Sound of Music played in 1960.  Barbara auditioned for a singing role and although she did not get a part, the director encouraged her to emphasize her singing on her resume.  

With the help of Barry Dennen, Barbara recorded a tape, accompanied by a guitarist, to give to prospective employers in the future.  Dennen recollected the session to Christopher Nickens and Karen Swensen for the 2000 book The Films of Barbra Streisand: 

We spent the afternoon taping, and the moment

       I heard the first playback I went insane ... This 

      nutty little kook had one of the most breathtaking 

      voices I'd ever heard ... when she was finished

      and I turned off the machine, I needed a long 

      moment before I dared look up at her.

Dennen convinced Streisand to enter a talent contest at a club called the Lion in Greenwich Village, which she won.   She performed several more times at the club, changing her first name to Barbra during this time.  Streisand then was hired at the Bon Soir nightclub for $125 a week in 1960, opening for comedian Phyllis Diller.  Listening to records by Billie Holiday, Ethel Waters, Edith Piaf, and Mabel Mercer, Barbra broadened her singing style.

Streisand's own spontaneous humor in between songs won over audiences everywhere she went.

Streisand landed her first role on the New York Stage in Another Evening, a play in which she also sang two solos.  The play received bad reviews and closed, but her manager, Martin Erlichman, helped her get parts in Detroit and St. Louise.  Erlichman helped Barbra perform at an upscale club in Manhattan known as the Blue Angel in 1961 and 1962.
Syndicated columnist Robert Ruark had this to say after seeing her 1963 shows at the Blue Angel:

             Her name is Barbra Streisand. She is 20             years old, she has a three-octave            promiscuity of range, she packs more            personal dynamic power than anybody I            can recall since Libby Holman or Helen            Morgan.  She can sing as loud as Ethel             Merman and as persuasively as Lena or            Ella, or as brassy as a Sophie Tucker...            and only Barbra Streisand can turn "Cry            Me A River" into something comparable             to Enrico Caruso having his first bash at            Pagliacci.  When Streisand cries you a river,             you got a river, Sam... and she will be            around 50 years from now if good songs            are still written to be sung by good singers.

Director and playwright Arthur Laurents asked Streisand to audition for a new musical comedy he was directing, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, in which Barbra would co-star with Elliott Gould.  Streisand and Gould fell in love and soon moved into an apartment together.  The play opened at the Shubert Theater and both Barbra and the show itself received rave reviews.  Streisand received a Tony nomination for her performance and the show was recorded and released on an album.
While appearing and singing on The Tonight Show in April of 1961, fellow guest Phyllis Diller called her "one of the great singing talents in the world."
Later in the year, she appeared often on PM East/PM West, a talk and variety series hosted by Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson, and starred in the play Another Evening with Harry Stoones.

In 1962, Barbra recorded the album for I Can Get It for You Wholesale with the rest of the cast at the Columbia Records Studio and also sang for the studio recording of the musical Pins and Needles.  She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson six times in 1963 and 63, where both her amazing singing and brand of humor were popular with the television audience, and also on The Garry Moore Show.
Also that year, Streisand performed for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show, was a co-host on The Mike Douglas Show, and appeared in several specials by Bob Hope.  Piano great Liberace saw her and encouraged Barbra to come to Las Vegas, Nevada, to be his opening act at the Riviera Hotel.  
The next year while performing at Harrah's Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Streisand and Gould were married in Carson City, Nevada.  They were married until they announced their divorce on July 6, 1971.
 In 1963, Barbra released her debut The Barbra Streisand Album, which reached the Top 10 and went Gold.  She captured two Grammy Awards for her first album (Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance), and she was nominated for Record of the Year for "Happy Days Are Here Again", and already was the best-selling female vocalist in the U.S.  
 Arthur Hamilton wrote this standard, first recorded by Julie London in 1955.  Here is Streisand's great version of "Cry Me A River".

  Later in the year, she released The Second Barbra Streisand Album, which reached #2 and also was certified Gold, and performed several concerts in cities in the West and Midwest of the United States.  We want to feature "Down With Love", a song written in 1937 for Kay Thompson but introduced by her replacement, Vivian Vance, for the Broadway musical Hooray for What!  Judy Garland and Bobby Darin are among the notable people to record the song.  Streisand recorded it and sang it live on The Judy Garland Show.


 In 1964, Barbra returned to Broadway as entertainer Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the Winter Garden Theatre.  Barbra again turned heads with her performance, leading to an appearance on the cover of Time magazine. "People", from the soundtrack album, rocketed to #1 among Adults and #5 overall.   In 1966, Streisand performed the same role at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.  

Streisand captured another Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance, while also being nominated for Record of the Year for "People" and Album of the Year.  She was nominated for another Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her work in Funny Girl.  

Streisand released The Third Album later in 1964, a #5 effort which gave her three straight Gold albums.  Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are among the artists to give this great song a shot.  Here is Barbra's version of "It Had To Be You".






 "My Melancholy Baby" was originally published in 1912.  It is another of Streisand's career best songs.
The album People sold over one million copies, became her first #1 album, and featured the title song that was her first career hit.
Streisand was presented the Distinguished Merit Award by Mademoiselle magazine in 1964, and selected as Miss Ziegfeld in 1965.
 In 1965, she released the albums My Name Is Barbra  and My Name Is Barbra Two, both of which rose to #2 and went Gold.  The former includes "Someone To Watch Over Me", which Gershwin biographer Deena Rosenberg called "the second in a series of great Gershwin ballads about looking for an elusive companion".





Streisand was honored for Best Female Vocal Performance for My Name is Barbra and nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys.  Peter Matz provided the arrangement for "I've Got No Strings", made famous in the Walt Disney movie Pinocchio.






 My Name Is Barbra Two achieved Platinum status (over one million units sold) and contained the #2 Adult hit "He Touched Me".







 "The Shadow Of Your Smile" is also known as "Love Theme from 'The Sandpiper'" for the movie of that name.  It captured the Grammy for Song of the Year and the Oscar for Best Original Song.  Streisand adds her touch to it here.

We're just getting started in the fabulous career of this extremely gifted performer!