I would nominate Edith Piaf [1915-1963].I can't think of any singer who had such a bad start in life and went on to be internationally famous and who sung 95% of her songs in a language that 95% of the world doesn't understand !
She was born , literally on the pavement in a poor part of Paris. Her mother who was a drug addict and cafe singer dumped her onto her Grandma who kept a brothel in Normandy.Piaf was then blind from the age of 4 to 8 and as soon as her sight was restored her father , who was a street acrobat , came and took her to Paris with him where she collected the money and sang as he did his act.She never went to school , never had a holiday , dressed in rags , and as often as not she slept in hallways and passageways because her father had drunk the rent money.
At the age of 15 , she teamed up with her half -sister , Momone , who collected the money whilst Piaf sang.She had a baby girl , at age 17 , who died at age 3 of meningitus. Then a very rich , gay night-club owner , Louis Leplee heard her singing on Rue Troyon and invited her to sing at his famous club. This was the beginning of her rise to fame but there were many hurdles , disasters and tragedies to overcome , right to the end of her life. Fatefully , Louis Leplee was robbed and murdered not long after his meeting with Piaf and for many years she was a suspect in the killing.
It's impossible to list all her adventures and mis-adventures but , throughout it all , she carried on singing. There were no gimmicks , no special effects----just a tiny woman [4ft.10ins.] , thin and often bedraggled , she just got on stage and gave it all she had.
I was once talking to a french woman whose parents , from the Loire Valley , had been to see Piaf , whilst on holiday in Paris. The curtain opened and this untidy figure came on stage , hair all over the place , lipstick smeared on and face bloated as she was on a Cortisone drug.Their immediate reaction was , "Have we paid good money to see THIS ?"
Then , Piaf began to sing and they sat spell-bound for the next hour or two.
Just one of the many things I find remarkable about Piaf is how such a tiny body could produce such a powerful voice.?
Well ,there's loads more about Piaf and her crazy life but that is the reason I vote her "The Queen of Song ".

Nicely done Fareast, but sadly I suspect it's a classic case of pearls before swine in the context of this forum.

Eve Libertine. Great stage presence too I'm told, I'm too young to have seen Crass back in't day.

Originally posted by mojoworking
Nicely done Fareast, but sadly I suspect it's a classic case of pearls before swine in the context of this forum.

How ridiculous! Just because many of the posts on this forum relate to rock music does not mean that contributors cannot appreciate artists in other genres. Swine are well known for their eclectic tastes and are intelligent animals

Originally posted by mojoworking
Nicely done Fareast, but sadly I suspect it's a classic case of pearls before swine in the context of this forum.

That is merely your opinion, which holds no weight over anyone elses.

I don't have a female singer in mind as "Queen" because I like a few different singers.
Patti Smith, love Horses album, Gloria is my favourite on that, she sings it with such energy.
Chrissi Hynde - Pretenders, great gravelly voice, yet extremely melodic
Dolores O'Riordan - Cranberries, a voice like caramel, smooth and soft in my ears.
Probably a few more if I think a little longer :thumbsup:

Billy Holiday, knocks all these alledged 'divas' into a cocked hat.

Yeah , I agree Morte and Billie Holliday would be my no. 2 choice.
Billie H.'s life and Piaf's were very much alike---the terrible childhoods , the poverty , the abuse and the scorn for the middle-class life......and the men !!
I once saw a great little concert at a pub in Battersea , about 1991 , featuring two women in a sort of musical biography of Piaf and Billie H. and it emphasised their similarities. In fact one can almost hear their sad , real-life experiences , dripping from their voices , in both cases.

I hadn't really thought about it but now you've mentioned it I'm thinking "Doh".

If you like your female singers with something of an edge I'd recommend Ute Lemper. Her album of pre war german Caberet songs is a gem and "Punishing Kiss" is a cracker with songs from Weil, Waits, Scott Walker, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave and the Divine Comedy.

We seem to have a lot in common as I , too , love those pre-war German , "nightclub " sounds. I'm only sorry I haven't spent very much time or energy on the German singers but I suppose I've been wrapped up with Piaf , so much.
Two points of interest ; the singer you mentioned , who sings the old German songs , plus the Nick Cave ones ....etc....well . I think she did a cabaret show on T.V some years ago and if it was her , yes , she was great.
Do you remember the woman who played the female Smersh Agent in James Bond's "From Russia With Love "?
Well that was Lotte Lenya who was a contemporary of Kurt Weil's and sang a lot of his compositions. Sorry if I'm telling you old news ---but it is an odd connection , isn't it ? Kurt Weil and James Bond !

My partner agrees with Morte about
Billie Holliday

But he also thinks Maddy Prior sends shivers down his spine.

and what about Peggy Lee, Karen Carpenter, Ella and Sarah

hazel

My choice much more contemporary. Sorry but it just has to be:

Kate Bush.

She has the most amazing voice that I have ever heard and she's a crazzzy lady who sometimes thinks she's a donkey.

e-aaawwwww e-aaawwwww!

Originally posted by Agent Gypo
That is merely your opinion, which holds no weight over anyone elses.

er, doesn't that apply to every post on the forum? Aren't all of them merely opinion? Not many of us have a monopoly on absolute truth, I fear.

In case you need it spelling out, my meaning was this: Fareast's post was so well written and so passionate, but dealt with a subject not many people would care about. It's a biblical expression in common usage.

Don't take it personally.

Then why use a phrase such as 'pearls before swine', which is an insulting phrase used to imply that those referred to are too ignorant or stupid to appreciate or comprehend what is being said?

Originally posted by LordChaverly
Then why use a phrase such as 'pearls before swine', which is an insulting phrase used to imply that those referred to are too ignorant or stupid to appreciate or comprehend what is being said?

No offence meant my Lord, but I suspect that not many forum members would know or care who Edith Piaf was.

I also meant that Fareast's post was very well written, but that the effort was probably wasted on 99% of readers

Originally posted by mojoworking
No offence meant my Lord, but I suspect that not many forum members would know or care who Edith Piaf was.

I also meant that Fareast's post was very well written, but that the effort was probably wasted on 99% of readers

I think you seriously underestimate the majority of your fellow forum users, Mojoworking.

I would think it's likely that most Forum users have heard of Edith Piaf, even if they are not familiar with her history/all of her songs.

I, myself, was brought up listening to her recordings from a very young age - my father's taste in music being of a similar high standard to my own - and the first song I can recall singing along to, albeit badly, was the superb "Milord".

StarSparkle

Fareast,
I really enjoyed reading your post. I remember my mum playing Edith Piaf records when I was wee. I loved them. They sounded so sad and magical, enchanted even! Probably as they were in French and I didn't have a clue what she was saying :) She has a superb voice... it's filled with emotion. Even listening to her as a kid I got the feeling she had a sad hard life. I think maybe you can only sing with that amount of feeling if you have really lived. :)

Thanks for all the nice things said about Piaf !
If anyone is planning to go to Paris and is keen on Piaf , there are a number of interesting places to visit.
There's her grave in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. It's not too far from the centre and a lot of other famous people are buried there too , including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison.There are always tourists visiting and Piaf is buried with her second husband , Theo Sarapo and her baby daughter.
If you find Belleville , [the Hackney of Paris] and then walk up the Rue de Belleville , about half -way up on the right is the pavement where Piaf was born. There's a plaque above the nearest doorway.
If you contact the French Tourist Board , they should be able to give you info. [if it's still open !] on a small , private museum , run by a group called , "Friends of Edith Piaf ". Almost essential to get info. first as it only opens by special arrangement
I haven't been but I've heard that a square in Paris has been named after her and that there's a cafe on the square that plays her music non-stop. Also , I suppose it's easier to buy her music in France and videos too.
I've got one video recording of a concert she did on tour in 1962. The camera work , and so on , is crude by today's standards but it gives a good idea of the power of her stage presence-----although she was literally dying on her feet and crippled with arthritis. [Nov. '62 ] when the recording was made.
Even after her death , tragedy seemed to follow her ! Seven years after she died , Theo Sarapo was killed , aged about 33 in a car crash. People said he'd married Piaf for her money but in fact she died in debt ! Sarapo had been singing abroad for seven years trying to pay it off !
On the same day she died , co-incidentally one of her closest friends died too----the philosopher , artist , writer and intellectual , Jean Cocteau. What a combination , Piaf and Cocteau-----another little by-way of her life !

Wasn't Edith Piaf also known as The Little Sparrow ?

I agree with Piaf and Lady Day but also have a liking for Sue Raney. Her interpretation of 'Here's To The Rainy Day' has to be one of the coolest of them all. There is also Betty Carter, try to listen to her Cd dueting with the late Ray Charles, then there is Dee Dee Bridgewater, then there is.........................I could go on forever.........

What about Ella Fitzgerald?

Originally posted by extaxman
What about Ella Fitzgerald?

Another queen for sure !

aretha franklin is the queen

Originally posted by BoppinBruce
I agree with Piaf and Lady Day but also have a liking for Sue Raney. Her interpretation of 'Here's To The Rainy Day' has to be one of the coolest of them all. There is also Betty Carter, try to listen to her Cd dueting with the late Ray Charles, then there is Dee Dee Bridgewater, then there is.........................I could go on forever.........

Is that the same song as "Here's that rainy day" by Frank Sinatra ? thats an oldie too.

Poppins, you are correct, dont know what came over me!!!! The song is 'Here's That Rainy Day' written by Jimmy Van Hausen and Johnny Burke for the 1953 film 'Carnival In Flanders' and featured on the 1959 Sinatra Lp 'No One Cares'

In a word - Bjork.

Karen Carpenter for me. Well, at least for today. Also, Dusty Springfield, Olivia Newton-John, Annafried and Agnetha (excuse my spelling) from Abba, kdlang, Kate Bush (for Man With The Child In His Eyes) and Eddi Reader (of Fairground Attraction, but forget FA, try her solo stuff).