Leo Fuld
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Lazarus 'Leo' Fuld (Rotterdam, October 29, 1912 – Amsterdam, June 10, 1997) was a Dutch singer who specialised in Yiddish songs.
Leo Fuld was born as the third of ten children and grew up in a poor Jewish family. His father, Louis Fuld, was a merchant. Fuld's talent for singing showed at early age during services at the synagogue. Fuld was a good student and was given a scholarship at the Dutch Jewish Seminar. His parents expected young Leo to eventually become hazzan ('cantor'). At the age of sixteen Fuld was already leading services in provincial synagogues.
Besides this, he also started singing a worldly repertoire in pubs. He started off at "café de Kool" at the Rotterdam "Kruiskade", where he sang sixty tunes earning a "knaak". The success he had on stage made him decide to audition for VARA radio. He was employed right away and started to perform next to the famous Dutch singer Louis Davids. In 1932 he left for England to audition for the BBC and became the first Dutch singer behind the BBC microphone. His performance was noticed by Jack Hylton, leader of one of the most popular show bands of that time. At the age of 19 Leo joined for a tour, singing a miscellaneous repertoire: in addition to schlagers and swing classics he also sang traditional Yiddish songs.
Just before the outbreak of the Second World War Fuld left to perform in the United States. Leaving Europe may well have saved his life; of his entire family only Leo and one of his sisters survived the Nazis. The city in which they lived was destroyed in the Rotterdam Blitz. Fuld continued to perform during the war. Twice a week he sang in "het Zeemanshuis" (the Seamen's house) and he also performed with Jack Hylton's show band on the radio. After the war he stayed in the US, becoming the number one interpreter of Yiddish repertoire. Singing songs such as 'My Yiddishe Mama', 'Ich hob Dich zu viel lieb', 'Doina' and 'Wo Ahin Soll Ich Geh'n' made him famous all over the world. He shared the stage with Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra. Many of Fuld's songs are sung partly in Yiddish and partly in English. Sometimes he sang in Hebrew as well.
Fuld toured every part of the world and he also became popular in the Arab world. He performed several times in places such as Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia. In 1956 he started his own club 'Sabrah' in New York, which was not very succesful. He moved to Las Vegas. At the age of 80 the singer returned to Holland. With Mohamed El-Fers as producer he recorded his last CD, 'The Legend'. This CD features some of his most famous songs, played in Oriental style.
One year before his death Fuld married for the third time in his life. Fuld died in Amsterdam at the age of 84.
