A few months ago a new compilation of Amalia Rodriguez was released here and they promoted it by calling her “the greatest Fado singer in the world”, which is of course true sill somehow funny – off all the Swedish, Nigerian and Japanese Fado artists she’s the best. Being so hyperboles oriented, they could describe her “the greatest folk singer”, which she certainly one of those who qualify as, but alas, they already used it earlier to describe Mercedes Sosa.Precious Doll wrote:I'll check out Amalia Rodrigues, my partner is familiar with her. I have also seen Marisa live and she was sensational with the highlight being the performance of one song without a microphone. I am always on the lookout for her next tour to Australia.
Anyway, growing up in Israel in the 60s and ‘70s, I always was under the impression that Rodriguez was internationally known as, I guess, Edith Piaf. I know in retrospect she wasn’t, but I was surprised you never at least heard of her and her. You should, although I’m afraid you’ll miss some of the impact since you might have heard quite a few of those more recent artists, Mariza/Marisa certainly one of them, who were heavily influenced by her. (Which reminds me a nice anecdote – a friend of mine saw Brando in a film - Sayonara on tv - for the first time when she was 20, and afterward told me, only half jokingly, that it was strange, seeing Paul Newman, yet hearing James Dean).