Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand, born Barbara Joan Streisand in Brooklyn in 1942, is an American singer, theatre and film actress, composer, film producer and director. She works in pop and related styles including ballads, disco, easy listening, soft rock and traditional pop, and records mainly for Columbia Records, with additional releases on BJS Music Corp. and Emanuel Music.

Career and recordings

Streisand records more than 60 albums, with an early run of 1960s releases that includes The Barbra Streisand Album, The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album and My Name Is Barbra. These recordings focus on theatre and nightclub standards, including her version of “Happy Days Are Here Again”. From My Name Is Barbra onwards, her albums often draw on material associated with her television specials.

From 1969 she begins to work with more contemporary songwriters. Her attempts to sing rock material meet mixed results, but she gains further success with the pop- and ballad-based Stoney End in 1971, produced by Richard Perry. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, becomes a major hit for her.

Her 1980 album Guilty features Barry Gibb as songwriter, producer and vocalist and becomes the best-selling album of her recording career.

Chart success and collaborations

During the 1970s, Streisand is a major figure on the pop charts, with number-one records including “The Way We Were”, “Evergreen”, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”, a duet with Donna Summer, and “Woman in Love”. Some of these songs come from soundtracks to her films. She also contributes to “We Are the World 25th Anniversary” in support of Haiti.

Awards and honours

Streisand wins Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Original Song, as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. She also receives an honorary Tony Award and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008. Her first album wins two Grammy Awards in 1963. The Recording Industry Association of America identifies her as the most successful female recording artist, and by the end of the 1970s she is described as the most successful female singer in the United States, with only Elvis Presley and the Beatles selling more albums overall.

Critical reputation

In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden describes Streisand as the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra.