Omara Santiago
Celia Cruz
** DMark ** if the drinking buddies bit is really true, please, please e-mail me. I love this lady! Her recording of Song & Dance, and the CD with the two songs from Chess in German are my favorites!
The post proves my point: There is nothing in the world so obscure that some Doper hasn’t heard of it.
Try these:
Rosenstolz - AnnA R. (sic!) sings modern chansons in German
Patricia Kaas - Alsatian singer with great voice, sings French and sometimes German. She is especially good when playing live.
Sezen Aksu - the Grand Dame of Turkish Pop music
And I second the recommendations of Lotte Lenya, Ute Lemper, Angelika Milster and Meret Becker.