Singer-actress-producer-director Barbra Streisand has won fame as a recording artist, a television (see entry under 1940s— TV and Radio in volume 3) performer, and a stage and screen star. Her greatest asset has been her voice. At once powerful and tender, it oozes raw emotion and allows Streisand to be equally at home singing show tunes, pop ballads, and Christmas carols. Without argument, hers is one of the great voices of her generation.

Streisand's early career was one of accomplishment and honor. She earned her initial celebrity on Broadway (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) in a show-stopping supporting role as Miss Marmelstein in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962). The Grammy Award–winning The Barbra Streisand Album (1963) became the first of her countless, top-selling record albums; since its release, her records have sold more than sixty million copies...