Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King – Life and Music of Barbra Streisand Part Three -collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s

Every two weeks William will be sharing posts from his music archives here on Smorgasbord with a reminder of the incredible musicians and singers that have been featured over the last five years

In Part Two we enjoyed some of the music from Barbra Streisand’s hit movies in the 1970s. This week we are going to be sharing some of her collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s that have stood the test of time

“You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” originally from the Neil Diamond 1977 album “I’m Glad You’re Here with Me Tonight,” was written by Neil Diamond, along with Alan and Marilyn Bergman. This song was, initially, a solo performance by Diamond. Early in 1978, Streisand covered the song on her album “Songbird.” Radio WAKY-AM/Louisville KY program director, Gary Guthrie, spliced the two solo tracks together as a going away present to his wife, whom he had just divorced. This triggered a media buzz worldwide from “Good Morning America” and “People” magazine to the BBC. Interest in the duet caused such a clamor that Columbia Records was compelled to bring Streisand and Diamond into the studio to record an “official” version in October 1978. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978, producing the third number one hit for both singers. Acknowledgment and gratitude for Guthrie came from CBS with a Gold record plaque, flowers from Diamond and a telegram from Streisand. The duo performed the song at the 1980 Grammy Awards show, a performance released on the 1994 album “Grammy’s Greatest Moments Volume 1.” Nikki b  

“Guilty” was Streisand’s twenty-second studio album, written and produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. It became her best-selling album to date internationally, with sales between 15–20 million copies worldwide as well as spawning several hit singles. The title track, and second single from the album, was a duet between Streisand and Gibb, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1981.Barbra Streisand  

“No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” was a 1979 duet that Streisand recorded with Donna Summer. The song was recorded for Streisand’s “Wet” album and also as a new track for Summer’s compilation double album entitled “On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2.” The single went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it both singers’ fourth chart-topping single in the US, and number one for four weeks on the disco chart. It was also a big international hit, and made the top three in the UK. Unfortunately, they never performed the song together live after recording it.

“Woman in Love” is a song from Streisand’s 1980 album, “Guilty,” written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. It was her fourth of four Platinum records, and is considered her greatest international hit, reaching number one in many countries, including in the UK Singles Chart. Streisand has openly stated that she doesn’t like “Woman In Love” because she doesn’t believe in the meaning of the lyrics, and has rarely performed the song live.

Buy the music of Barbra Streisand: Amazon US  – and: Amazon UK –   Additional sources: Barbra Streisand Website – And: Wikipedia

Join us next week for part four of the Barbra Streisand story.

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

My thanks to William for the amazing artists he has brought to the blog and thank you for dropping in today.  As always your feedback is very welcome.