Barbara

Monique Andrée Serf (June 9, 1930 – November 24, 1997), known as Barbara (Barbara Brodi in her debut), was a popular French female singer. She took her stage name from her Russian grandmother, Varvara Brodsky. She called herself 'the black eagle'-her song L'Aigle noir sold a million copies in twelve hours- and she always wore black. Norman Lebrecht: "Barbara is all about the unsaid; she's a Freudian enigma at the heart of France." Monique Serf, born in Paris, France, into a Jewish family, was ten years old when she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France in World War II. After the war ended, a neighborhood professor of music heard Monique sing and took an interest in helping her develop her talents. She was given...