In many ways, the middle of the 20th century is revolutionary, and this is especially true of music. The industry literally explodes with new names on both sides of the Atlantic. And while in the United States, the audience is heavily influenced by female performers, the charts are less noteworthy of the European singers’ contributions. However, this does not mean that the Old Continent doesn’t have female voices comparable to those of Aretha Franklin, Barbara Streisand, and Janis Joplin. On the contrary, some musicians actually manage to reach the top of many US charts. In the next lines, we’ll meet you with:
- Dusty Springfield
- Lulu
- Ornella Vanoni
- Helen Shapiro
- France Gall
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield is one of the most popular British singers from the 1960s. She was born in London in 1939 and recorded over 20 albums. Dusty or Mary, as was her real name, had an incredible career that lasted about five decades. Mary’s first steps were in the company of her brother Dion in the family band, The Springfields. They decided to pursue solo careers in 1963. The following year, Philips Records released 3 debut albums – A Girl Called Dusty, Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be with You, and Dusty! Dusty Springfield recorded 7 more only during the 60s:
- Ooooooweeee
- Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty
- You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
- Where Am I Going?
- The Look of Love
- Dusty… Definitely
- Dusty in Memphis.
The last one sold more than 400,000 units and received a Gold BPI status. Dusty Springfield died in 1999, leaving indelible marks with her iconic soul, pop, jazz, and French chanson performances.
Lulu
Lulu is a famous pop singer and actress, born in 1948! She is of Scottish origin and has 15 studio, 11 compilation, and 3 other albums. The peak of her solo career came in the ’60s, with singles, like Shout, Can’t Hear You No More, Leave a Little Love, and Boom Bang-a-Bang, which became number 1 in Ireland and number 2 in the UK. Lulu has one Gold studio album – Together from 2002 and one Silver compilation – The Greatest Hits from 2003. Although she managed to break into several US music charts, her songs were mostly appreciated in Europe and New Zealand. During the 1960s, Lulu also popped on the TV screens, co-hosting Gadzooks on BBC. She also represented the United Kingdom at 1969’s Eurovision Song Contest by performing “Boom Bang-a-Bang”. The song received 18 votes and tied on the 1st position with Spain, France, and the Netherlands.
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni is our pick from the Italian stage, with her 200+ recorded singles and extended plays. She was born in 1934 in Milano, and although her performances are entirely in Italian, she has been on foreign charts several times. Some of the biggest Ornella hits are Senza Fine, Che cosa c’e, and Tu si na cosa grande. She won the song festival in Neapol, performing the last one in 1964. In 2008 and 2009, at the zenith of her career, Ornella Vanoni recorded her two most successful albums Piu di me and Piu di te. They consist almost entirely of duet songs, and their release is in honour of the singer’s 50-year career! Piu di me became triple platinum, and Piu di te a gold album. Ornella Vanon also has a successful acting career, taking part in 9 movies, including What a Beautiful Surprise from 2015.
Helen Shapiro
Helen Shapiro is another incredibly talented British singer, born in 1946, on the outskirts of London. Her repertoire includes mainly pop and jazz, and her voice was described as too mature and sensitive for a teenager. The 14-year old Helen became the youngest female singer to hit the UK’s chart number one position! And she did it not once but twice, with You Don’t Know and Walkin’ Back to Happiness super hits in 1961. These singles sold more than one million copies together, and both received Gold status. Helen Shapiro released 18 studio albums in her career and 20 compilations. Besides the UK, she hit the charts in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, the USA, and Japan. Despite Shapiro’s retirement from show business in 2002, several albums were released by different labels after that.
France Gall
The last 1960s female singer in our collection is France Gall, a French Yé-yé and pop performer with a rich and curious career. She won the 1965’s Eurovision at the age of 17, competing for Luxembourg, with the song Poupée de cire, poupée de son. Besides in French, it was later also recorded in Japanese, Italian, German. The 1960s was a turbulent period for the young and rapidly gaining popularity, star. Gall made a summer tour with Le Grand Cirque de France in 1965 and appeared in several TV productions in 1966. During the same year, her Les Lecons Particulieres song was a subject of displeasure by the audience. Even so, the singer managed to record several successful albums in the next few years. Her songs recorded in German enjoyed serious popularity in 1967-1969. Despite her great achievements in the ’60s, the most significant part of Gall’s career was collaborating with the famous singer and songwriter Michel Berger.
Conclusion
Many other European female singers started their careers in the 1960s. These are only our picks for today, and we will continue delivering articles for other artists and stars like Twinkle and Kiki Dee. If you want to learn intriguing facts about your favourite performers, don’t hesitate to message us!
