That – thing – she does. Is that vibrato? Or what?
Yeah, that’s vibrato, but very badly done. With Judy in her later years, it’s more of a caricature of vibrato.
When it’s done well, it shouldn’t call much attention itself.
I’m sure some singers will check in.
Singers seem to overdo the vibrato at times, or just can’t control it. I remember reading Roy Orbison’s comment about the problem with getting older is that he had a hard time damping out the vibrato.
I thought it was termed “drinking your liver out.”
I always thought it was her trying to cover the fact she couldn’t find the note immediately, and used this technique to reach a note she didn’t hit. Eventually it became “her thing” and nobody seemed to mind.
I sense an underlying antagonism toward judy in these replies.
I must agree, I sense no friends of Judy’s here.
Her daughter Liza has the same problem.
No - I was/am a big fan, but also know that in her later years, it got a tad more difficult to reach some of those higher notes and this was simply her way of getting to where she needed to get, without being all that obvious about it. As I mentioned, it was “her thing” and her fans appreciated the fact that she did indeed finally hit that note she was reaching for, even if it did perhaps take a bit longer to get there than in her earlier years.
damn you!
I saw the title and immediately thought “being rat-arsed” but no…you simply had to be first didn’t you?
Vibrato, or no friends?
Nice. 
I loved Judy Garland, but it’s always painful and embarrassing to watch a performer you used to love who is way past his/her prime and is the last one in the room to know it. (BTW, anyone catch Clint Eastwood the other night? I rest my case.) Judy was a very talented, charismatic performer who was chewed up and spit out by the movie making industry of her time.
I wish some singers would come along and address the vibrato question. Some people (like Sarah Brightman) really overdo it, and it’s a stylistic thing not found in every genre and era of music. What I wonder is if it’s a natural occurrence or if the singer has to learn it and introduce it? When done right and with subtlety, it adds depth and richness to the voice. IMHO.
I took a few years of voice lessons and didn’t have vibrato for a long time. It didn’t really matter when I was focusing on early English art songs because vibrato was not used for that style. I developed it as I improved my overall technique and learned to relax more, but I still don’t have a lot.
Well, I have a sort of ‘radar’ for these things.
and gays really liked her. a double wammy of shame.
If you want to hear a crazy Judy-esque vibrato, watch An American in Paris and listen to Georges Guétary. It sounds like he’s singing while gargling.
It’s a natural occurrence of certain techniques. Those techniques generally take some time to develop, but it’s not really deliberate when it occurs (although it can be controlled to some degree).