Caterina Valente

With voice that was both bright and warm, Caterina Valente was a multilingual European artist who became one of the most beloved performers of her generation. After emerging on the continent in 1954, she had her first British and American hits with 1955's "Malagueña" and "The Breeze and I," the biggest single of her career. She was nominated for a Grammy in 1959 for "La strada del amore" (Best Vocal Performance, Female). Valente went on to release hundreds more albums, many of them dedicated to a particular region or language (she spoke six languages and sang in 12), while sharing stages with the likes of Bing Crosby, Chet Baker, and Count Basie. She retired after releasing 2001's harp-accompanied Girltalk. In 2019, her song "Bongo cha cha cha" (1959) appeared on the Spider-Man: Far from Home soundtrack; the tune went viral on TikTok in 2021.