My dad, Ed's, favorite male singer was Jim Reeves (does that surprise you?) and his favorite female singer was Kate Smith. I will never forget how excited he was when she appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and he rushed across the room to turn up the TV. Kate was a beloved American institution and Franklin Roosevelt even treated her like a national treasure, which she was. Well into her senior years she could still sing a stirring version of "God Bless America" (written for her by Irving Berlin and first performed on the radio in the 1930s). It is featured here in the patriotic finale of the Dean Martin show from 1969. Just listen to that last note she sings. What class. What a lady. What a powerful voice! Click here to view it: https://youtu.be/RqnfndXHuXk
I am posting it in observance of Independence Day here in the United States.
Then just to show you how Kate could sing a pop song, watch this beautiful duet with Dean. I love how she starts to hum after the bridge and just before she and Dean resume singing. This was performed live in those days. And what current female singers really have such effortless power in their voices today? Enjoy "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" here: https://youtu.be/1jpqMMUS-j8
And while I'm on the subject of one of the grandest ladies of the American songbook, how about this one? "As Long As He Needs Me." This is the very definition of CLASS. Kate virtually acts out the words to the song, and the dynamics of her voice are from the old school. This is what REAL singers used to be like. Many of you remember this but a lot of young people are completely unfamiliar with this sort of talent as there isn't anything like it today: https://youtu.be/uCox2Hq6dho