Annie Cordy

Annie Cordy may not be a household name outside of central Europe, but she has enjoyed one of the longest enduring careers of any female performer of the post-World War II era, six decades and counting in music and comedy as of 2006. Her greatest fame lies in France, but she was born in Belgium -- as Léonie Cooreman in Schaerbeeck in 1928. She was something of a natural musician and studied the piano throughout childhood, but in her early teens her interest turned almost exclusively to singing. She won numerous talent competitions, even amid the upheavals of the second World W...