Leo Fuld Radio

b. 29 October 1912, Rotterdam, Netherlands, d. 10 June 1997, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Known as the last performer of Yiddish popular ballads, singer-songwriter Fuld was born into a large family. His remarkable voice was discovered when he attended the Amsterdam Jewish Seminary and he travelled all over the country to serve as cantor for Jewish congregations on the Sabbath. When he was 18 he performed for the BBC in London, and in 1938 starred on Broadway in New York. One of his first hits was called ‘Where Can I Go’, and also enjoyed great success throughout the world with ‘My Yiddishe Momma’, ‘Dos Pintele Yid’, ‘Mein Shtetele’, and many more. He is said to have sold 30 million records worldwide. Shortly after his country was occupied by the Nazis Fuld left for America, and for 10 years was the owner of the Sahbra, an Israeli nightclub and restaurant in New York. During the war most members of his family were killed in the concentration camps. Later in his life he returned to Amsterdam, and just a few months before his death performed with the Algerian rock group, Railand, recording The Legend. Critics raved about the album, saying: ‘Never before has Yiddish music sounded so oriental. It is so refreshing after decades of being earnest and very serious about the lost heritage of Yiddish music.’