(born before 1940)
† Bessie Smith (born April 15, 1894, Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S., died September 26, 1937), sometimes referred to as "The Empress of the Blues," was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists.
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/360355/Bessie+Smith.jpg
† Marlene Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992, Berlin, Germany) was a German-born American actress and singer.Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer. In 1999 the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth greatest female star of all time.
…
Patti LaBelle