The Songbirds (Women Who Sang!)

Previously writing about guitar players,    
the male crooners and their vocal delights    
I felt that a look at some females    
would be only right    
   
A contralto would break down barriers    
when segregation was the norm    
Marian Anderson was set to sing before an integrated audience    
but the Daughters of the American Revolution raised such a storm  
FDR and Eleanor become involved and it finally came to be    
Marian singing at Lincoln's Memorial those walls came crashing down  
precursor to the Civil Rights drive  
never before had that monument heard such a majestic sound!  
   
Singing the great American songbook    
was effortless for this chanteuse supreme    
Barbara Streisand one of a few who has an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony  
a world at peace was her publicly stated dream    
I can still hear her singing    
"people who need people are the luckiest" and from her it wasn't jive  
when she tackled "Evergreen" you knew    
she so loved just being alive  
   
My mother's love worked so tirelessly    
to better humanity for years    
Joan Baez could express it all  
the sweet happiness and then the darkest fears    
"Diamonds and Rust" portrays the pains of love  
"Gulf Winds" highlights nature and the seas  
on Amnesty International's Conspiracy of Hope performance  
"Amazing Grace" one of the greatest treasures ever to be  
   
The youngest of my songbirds here  
Christine Aguilera has taken some flack    
but no doubt she has a range that few others can match  
can sing circles around Britney, who can act rather whacked    
As a judge on The Voice she showed a gentleness    
a concern for others that was heart warming to find  
even if a brief example that having mega hits    
doesn't mean you have to treat people so unkind  
   
You can't mention the song "At Last"    
without mentioning this lady, Etta James is her name  
connecting R and B with Rock and Roll  
oh yes she paid the price for the fame    
for much of the trouble that came her way    
can be found in drug addiction and it's hurtful appeal    
fortunately she did finally overcome    
in her last years she reclaimed her zeal  
   
The queen of soul we all know this lady's name  
Aretha Franklin oh yes she is the real deal    
all others are simply appetizers  
so "Respect" the main course of the meal  
sang at the memorial for Doctor King    
he loved her as a sister and her emotive voice    
years later takes a Bryan Adam's song for a movie on Bobby Kennedy  
when emotion needs to carry a song she should always be the choice  
   
This next lady left way too soon  
yet in a brief time Minnie Ripperton showcased an awesome upper register    
"Lovin' You" really blew me away    
hit notes that were almost beyond measure  
breast cancer struck down the songbird    
at the still prime age of only thirty-one  
I remember her appearance on Soul Train  
still noteworthy when all was said and done  
   
Say Lady Sings The Blues and a name come easily  
Billie Holiday knew hardship very well  
not even fourteen when she worked as a prostitute    
then some jail time and some chilling stories to tell    
want a song whose underlying meaning    
depicts the savagery of the human affairs    
listen to "Strange Fruit" which is about a lynching    
just one warning make sure the heart doesn't tare    
   
If scatting is the craving of your ear  
Ella Fizgerald is the supreme delight    
be bop and swing was first nature    
her fellas could play it so tight  
look up her songs and I think    
you will there was nothing she couldn't sing    
for any aspiring vocalists study Ella  
she brought class to everything    
   
Phrasing as an art is the home of my last songbird    
Sarah Vaughan with her sophisticated ways  
songs that could go through nuance and style    
intended meanings could be found for days  
took "Send In The Clowns" and made it a different composition    
ears are forced to stop and digest    
anyone looking for history's supreme voices    
has Sarah since she was one of the best  
   
There you have some important song singers    
all professionals who worked hard with their crafts    
make you want to listen like breathing air    
and yes even while taking a bath!