The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz won his first praise on his interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto from the composer himself. When Rachmaninoff heard the young Kiev-born pianist play his work shortly after Horowitz's arrival in New York in 1928, he exclaimed: "He swallowed it whole." Fifty years later, on September 24, 1978, Horowitz electrified his audience once again with this monumental work.

Rose Murphy has a unique place in music history. She became famous as "the Chee Chee Girl" because she sang "chee chee" in her high-pitched voice somewhere during nearly every number. She was an excellent pianist, although best known for her eccentric singing.

The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock era, defining the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence. Their music was a blend of pop/rock and R&B – especially doo wop and smooth uptown soul – that appealed to listeners across the board, before Motown ever became a crossover pop phenomenon.

With her highly resonant and sophisticated vocal prowess, charismatic personality, and strongly independent spirit, Barbra Streisand rose to fame as one of the most creatively and commercially successful performers of her lifetime.