Aretha Franklin
Multiple Grammy winner and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin was known for a huge number of hits including Respect, Freeway of Love, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, and I Say a Little Prayer. Aretha Franklin was [...]
Multiple Grammy winner and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin was known for a huge number of hits including Respect, Freeway of Love, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, and I Say a Little Prayer. Aretha Franklin was [...]
Helen Reddy was born in 1941 in Melbourne into a well-known Australian show business family. Her mother was an actress, singer and dancer and her father a writer, producer and actor. At age four, she joined her parents on the Australian [...]
Diana Ross was born in Detroit in 1944. She began taking classes in clothing design, millinery and pattern making as she aspired to become a fashion designer. However, at fifteen, Diana joined a girl band called the Primettes, and following a [...]
Anna Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush, Tennessee in 1939, the youngest of three daughters. As a young girl, she sang in the Baptist Church choir. Anna first saw Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm, perform in a [...]
Myra Ellen Amos was born in North Carolina in 1963. A musical prodigy, from the time she could reach the piano, she taught herself to play. When she was two, she could reproduce pieces of music she had only heard once, [...]
Marie Dionne Warrick was born in New Jersey, USA in 1940. Many of Dionne's family were members of the Drinkard Singers, a renowned family gospel group performing in the New York area. Member Cissy Houston, mother of famed singer Whitney Houston, [...]
Roberta Joan Anderson was born in 1943, in Alberta, Canada. Joni struggled at school and her main interest was painting. At age nine, she contracted polio in an epidemic and was hospitalised for weeks. One of her teachers did make an [...]
Carol Klein was born in 1942 in New York. Her mother played piano at home and Carol was eager to learn. When Carol was four years old, her mother started teaching her music theory and elementary piano technique, including how to [...]
Joan Armatrading was born in 1950 in Basseterre on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, the third of six children. When she was three years old, her parents moved with their two eldest boys to Birmingham, England, while Joan was sent to live with her [...]
Annie Lennox Musician and AIDS Activist Since 2005, pop singer Annie Lennox has devoted the majority of her time to her SING campaign, raising awareness and money to combat HIV/AIDS. She shares the experiences that have inspired her, from working with [...]
A specialist in cabaret, Robyn Archer has released 10 solo albums, several more as collaborations, and written 20-odd shows for theatre, including The Pack of Women which was adapted into a TV special for the ABC. Born in Adelaide, Robyn was [...]
Marin Alsop was born in New York City to professional musician parents, and was educated at the Masters School. She attended Yale University, but later transferred to the Juilliard School, where she earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in violin. [...]
Condoleezza Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up while the South was racially segregated. Her father instilled in his daughter that black people would have to prove themselves worthy of advancement, and would simply have to be "twice as [...]
Dolly Parton is one of the most-honoured female country performers of all time. A composer of more than 3,000 songs, she is also one of the few to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony [...]
Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York, growing up in near-poverty after her father died suddenly when she was one year old. Although she knew her voice was good and she liked the attention it brought when she was young, [...]
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa ONZ DBE AC, has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Born in Gisborne, New Zealand in 1944, the Māori soprano is acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in the world. She possesses [...]
American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist, Joan Baez has performed publicly for over 55 years. Joan Baez was born in New York in 1941 after her grandfather had emigrated to the US from Mexico. When a child, a friend of Joan's father [...]