Karen Carpenter
Karen and Richard Carpenter grew up surrounded by music, spending hours in their New Haven, Connecticut home listening to their father’s extensive record collection. Karen majored in music at California State University, where she began experimenting with instruments like the flute, the glockenspiel, and finally, the drums. It was only natural for her to join the school band.
She collaborated with her brother to form the successful pop duo, “The Carpenters”. The two were critically acclaimed and had numerous fans. Karen’s musical career came to an unfortunate end when she dies from anorexia complications at the age of 32. Her voice and talent will be remembered by many.
Barbra Streisand
Barbara "Barbra" Streisand is among the most iconic women figures in the music and film industry. In a career spanning 6 decades, she has been honored with accolades and awards in multiple fields of entertainment, including 9 Golden Globes, 2 Oscars, 10 Grammys, and 5 Emmys. She was even presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama! Needless to say, she is nothing short of a legend.
As far as her music career goes, she's sold more than 68.5 million albums in the U.S. and a total of 150 million albums and singles sold worldwide, some of which she has co-writing credits. She is among top-selling female artists recognized by the RIAA. Streisand holds the RIAA and Billboard record for the most top 10 albums of any female recording artist. Incredible!
Christina Aguilera
This vocal powerhouse has always had a talent for singing. She won her first talent show when she was only eight years old. Like many other 90’s stars, she started her career in Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club. Christina truly became known after she sang "Reflection" for the movie "Mulan". The song reached #19 on the Billboard Charts, making her famous.
After she signed with RCA Records her career took off and Christina topped the billboards with her hit singles from her self-titled album, such as "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants". Now, she has 8 albums out, was awarded 5 Grammys, and is a coach on the show "The Voice". She definitely grew up well!
Tina Turner
Rising to fame with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm, Tina Turner was one of the world’s best-selling recording artists of all time. Affectionately referred to as the "Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll", she’s sold over 200 million records globally. Turner began in 1960 as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The duo is well remembered for "River Deep – Mountain High" and "Proud Mary".
The pair married in 1962, but in a later autobiography, "I, Tina", she revealed that Ike was abusive towards her, which was her reason for her filing for divorce in 1978. As a solo artist, and as a new convert to Nichiren Buddhism, she was renewed, ready for her comeback. The 1984 release of her solo album "Private Dancer" was a worldwide success. Over the years, the artist has won 12 Grammys and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In May 2023, she sadly passed away.
Amy Winehouse
The downward spiral of Amy Winehouse was a difficult thing to watch, as the talented young singer could not harness her demons. Her substance abuse got the best of her and she died at the age of — you guessed it — 27. On July 23, 2011, the singer was found dead in her apartment after a relapse overwhelmed her body.
Winehouse won five Grammys, including the 2008 award for Best Album. “Rehab” had some telling lyrics that help explain why Winehouse was unable to kick her bad habits: “They tried to make me go to rehab. I said, no, no, no… Yes, I been black, but when I come back, you’ll know, know, know…” Her influence lives on with her deep voice still heard on radios all over the world.