Celia Berk

In the artist’s words: Describe one of your earliest musical memories in detail. Listening to Al Jolson recordings. My father would play them all the time. Little did I know it was my introduction to the Great American Songbook and the standards I would one day perform and record. What are your top 3 all-time favorite albums on Apple Music, and why? Why did you choose these three albums in particular? Barbara Cook, Barbara Cook's Broadway Barbra Streisand, The Barbra Streisand Album Bruce Yarnell, Ethel Merman, Irving Berlin, Jerry Orbach, Annie Get Your Gun (1966 Lincoln Center Cast Recording) Original Cast Album Barbra Streisand had such distinctive interpretations at 19. Barbara Cook captures her in a live performance at the peak of her power as a cabaret artist. I sat up in the Mezzanine watching Ethel Merman and dreamt of someday doing what she did. Find a song of yours on Apple Music that you love and tell us what makes it special. Tell us why you chose this song. “I've Been Waiting All My Life” I’ve Been Waiting All My Life by Billy Goldenberg/Alan & Marilyn Bergman. It’s the first track on my debut album, and perfectly expresses the long journey to my unexpected musical career. What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career so far? Receiving the Margaret Whiting Award from My Ideal Music and The Mabel Mercer Foundation. To be associated with two great singers I so admire has meant the world to me.