Who are your three favorite female singers?

+1@richmos,

Dang Etta James! Forgot another one!

+1 @sgordon1,

Yes! I bought my first Rosa Passos cd in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. I love her!
I probably have more than a thousand flac albums in Portuguese in my flac burning days when I was learning to speak Portuguese. But that’s another thread...

Sarah Vaughn
Dinah Washington
Aretha Franklin 
Chaka Chan
Wanda Hutchinson (of The Emotions)
Tammy Terrell (with Marvin Gaye)
Phyllis Hyman
Joni Mitchell
Patti Labelle   

+1 @skyscaper,
Pasty Cline for sure

Yeah Linda Ronstadt was one talented singer. She even has some albums in Spanish that would knock your socks off.

Marilyn Mccoo (of The Fifth Dimension) she could really craft some magic with all those Laura Nyro written songs.

Great thread, nicely done.

Ella Fitzgerald - who needs no introduction.

And someone who could hold her own with anyone and any band leader the very underrated, Rosemary Clooney.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbQjDxA7g-M

@mustbethemusic, Thank you

Rachelle Ferrell, how could I forget about her! I seen her at The Fox in Atlanta back in the day with the George Duke band, talk about a voice. She could and can sing her face off! And sing anything and any genre. Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9RENywt-vc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTY5b3Fpbc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf83djaaTS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7oLO4xewGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnLZAVldBlw

K.D. Lang
Lalah Hathaway (Donny’s daughter)
Anita Baker

@16f4,

If you really want to know who was the heart of Brazilian music it was Elizete Cardoso. In 1958 her album Canção do Amor Demais was the album that first introduced Bossa Nova not only to Brazil itself, but to the world.

The music was composed by Vinícius de Moraes and Tom Jobim and contains the first recordings of João Gilberto’s guitar beat, which would go on to become a staple of bossa nova. And Lord Almighty, could she sing.

She was the voice on the Black Orpheus soundtrack, another bossa nova tune and in her day was just as a highly respected and talented singer as any of her American contemporaries of the day.

What Brazilian music has taught me is that Bossa Nova is to Samba, what Jazz is to the Blues. And Brazilian Forró music is what we would call country music in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVkDfnGobmI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9kkHbEmN2c
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%C3%A7%C3%A3o_do_Amor_Demais

@fleschler
I do understand Brazil Folklore music and Brazilian Folk and two different types of music...And she has an American heritage to boot!

The only American singer of her day that I may even try attempt any contemporaneous similarities is maybe Marion Anderson?

Thank you introducing me to the music of Elsie Houston.
Such power, softness and control in her voice...I had no idea...It’s as if she’s singing in incantations!

+1 on Elis Regina too!

+1 LULU - To Sir With love
A hauntingly good song.