Lazarus 'Leo' Fuld (

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: לעאָ פֿולד;

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, October 29, 1912 –

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, June 10, 1997) was a Dutch singer who specialised in

songs. Possessing an instantaneously recognizable voice, Fuld recorded throughout Europe and the Americas in many languages, including

, English, German, French, Hebrew and Dutch. His career after the war once again made his name popular throughout the world, and on the most prestigious night club and concert stages. At 83 he recorded his last record, claimed to be the '' Sergeant Pepper'' of Yiddish music.

Early life

Leo Fuld was the third of ten children from a poor Jewish family. His father, Louis Fuld, was a merchant in occasional goods. Fuld's talent for singing already showed at a young age during services in the

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

. Fuld received a study grant for the Seminarium. His parents expected that the young Leo would develop into a '

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

', the chorister in the synagogue. On his sixteenth birthday, Fuld already began leading services in 'sjoels' in the province. At this time he would also sing secular music in bars. He made his debut in a Rotterdam bar where he sang sixty songs for one dollar. His initial successes led him to enter an audition at VARA-radio. Here he was taken on directly and made his debut beside Louis Davids. Fuld left for the United Kingdom in 1932 to audition at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and was to become the first Dutch singer ever behind a BBC microphone. He was heard by the famous Jack Hylton, who signed the 19-year-old Fuld to a three-year contract with his celebrated band, which resulted in engagements in every important theatre in the British Isles and the Continent. In 1936 he was signed by Clifford C. Fischer for the French Casino in New York and later the Paramount Theatre on Broadway. As an International favorite, Fuld started to adapt Yiddish and Hebrew songs for inclusion in his repertoire. At the French Casino his biggest song was '' Rosinkes Mit Mandeln'', and the great

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

came back every night at "five to ten" just to catch his performance.

World war II

In 1938 his temporary visa ran out and he had to return to Europe where he applied for an immigration visa. He caught the last boat back before the Nazis invaded the Lowlands and immediately offered his services to the

Dutch government-in-exile The Dutch government-in-exile (), also known as the London Cabinet (), was the government in exile of the Netherlands, supervised by Queen Wilhelmina, that fled to London after the German invasion of the country during World War II on 10 May 19 ...

. Together with the late

Hendrik Willem van Loon Hendrik Willem van Loon (January 14, 1882 – March 11, 1944) was a Dutch-American historian, journalist, and children's book author. Life Van Loon was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the son of Hendrik Willem van Loon and Elisabeth Johanna H ...

, Fuld started the

shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using radio frequencies in the shortwave bands (SW). There is no official definition of the band range, but it always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (app ...

broadcasts to the Netherlands and the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. Rumors reached the UK of what was happening to the Jewish population of the Netherlands and that almost the complete Fuld family had been murdered by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. As a result, during this period he no longer could face an audience and stopped singing completely. As he always had a talent for writing, he soon became one of the most sought after material writers on Broadway, writing for such comedians as

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

, the

Ritz Brothers The Ritz Brothers were an American family comedy act consisting of brothers Al (1901–1965), Jimmy (1904–1985), and Harry Ritz (1907–1986) who performed extensively on stage, in nightclubs and in films from 1925 to the late 1970s. A fourth ...

, Jackie Miles,

Jackie Gleason Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growin ...

Jan Murray Jan Murray (born Murray Janofsky; October 4, 1916 – July 2, 2006) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and game-show host who originally made his name on the Borscht Belt and later was known for his frequent television appearances over se ...

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

and

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

, followed by the "

Kraft Music Hall ''The Kraft Music Hall'' was a popular old-time radio variety show, variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired first on NBC radio from 1933 to 1949. Radio ''The Kraft Program'' debuted June 26, 1933, as a musical- ...

" program. He also produced, directed and wrote a comedy show called '' Fun For Your Money'' with which he toured the US.

Post-war career

In 1948 he returned to the Netherlands as an American citizen to search for news about his family. Upon his arrival, in gratitude for his wartime broadcasts, thousands of people greeted him and he was offered a contract to sing at the largest theatre in Amsterdam. Not having sung for over five years he was petrified with fear, but was such a success that he was held over for six weeks. Having regained his confidence, he accepted an engagement at the London Casino where he was a tremendous hit. Offers followed from all over the world, and while at the Sa Majeste in Paris with his revue, he visited a little Yiddish night club where he heard a survivor of the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...

sing a song which touched him deeply - " Vi ahin zol Ikh geyn?". Fuld was so impressed that he asked the composer for a copy and said "I'll make this a world hit!". He kept his promise; upon returning to England he wrote English lyrics and recorded it for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

under the title "Where can I Go?". It was also released in America, and as the saying goes, it took him twenty years to become a star overnight. He sang it on television in the

show, the

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

Show and in the

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Show, and it was also recorded by some of America's biggest record stars such as

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

and

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935 – March 7, 2024) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Slin ...

. Among his greatest fans were such stars as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

and

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

. Since 1949, Leo Fuld made five world tours and appeared in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, Brazil, North Africa, Egypt, Israel and Lebanon. He shared the stage for 10 weeks with Edith Piaf at the Paris ABC Theatre and was engaged by the Emperor

Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or '' Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (') under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930. Wid ...

to sing at the wedding of his daughter at the Imperial Palace in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

. In April 1957 he set up his own nightclub in New York, the Cafe Sahbra, which was very successful, before relocating to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. There he married Ilone Mendels, having one daughter Mirjam Fuld-Lelah. After divorce Fuld returned to the Netherlands. With producer Mohamed el-Fers and arranger Kees Post he recorded his last CD, ''The Legend'' for the

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

-based company Hippo Records. On the CD Fuld sings his best known-songs, but they are provided with striking Oriental arrangements. At 84 Leo Fuld died in his place of residence in Amsterdam. The remainder of Leo's family lives in the Netherlands while his two favorite nephews (Avi and Peled) live in Israel.

Short discography

* 1933 : A Brievele der Mamme (

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

) * 1933 : Mein Shtetl (c'est sa première chanson à succès : il devient une vedette) (

Victrola The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

) * 1933 : Roumanische Kretsche (Victrola) * 1934 : A Klesmer Yingel (Oi Mamme! Bin Ich Farliebt) (Victrola) * 1934 : My Yiddishe Mama (Victrola) * 1935 : Oif'n Pripetshik (Victrola) * 1935 : Fraitag Oif der Nacht (Victrola) * 1935 : Shein Wie Die Lewone (Victrola) * 1936 : Yiddish ges'l (Odeon) * 1936 : Dos Pintele Yid (Victrola) * 1936 : Mo-me-le (Victrola) * 1937 : Az der Rebbe Tantst (Victrola) * 1937 : Zigany Melody/ Miserlu (acc. Grisha Farfel his trumpet and Orchestra) ( Melodisc 5019) * 1937 : Der Siderel (Yiddele Briederel) (Victrola) * 1937 : Gesselach (Victrola) * 1938 : A Letter to My Mother / You're the Sweetest in the Land (HMV) * 1939 : My Yiddishe Mama (

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

) * 1939 : Resele (Victrola) * 1939 : Meine mutter bleib in Ungarn (Victrola) * 1947 : Wo Ahin Soll Ich Geh'n (Where can I Go)/Hebrew Chant with Orchestra Bruce Campbell and Wardour Singers (Decca). C'est son plus grand succès et le record des ventes. Plus de exemplaires vendus * 1947 : Pigalle/Homeland (with Orchestra Lew Stone) (Decca F 9187/Decca DR.13631) * 1948 : Wus Geween Ist Geween/I Love You Much Too Much (with Tuschinsky Orch.) (Elite Spezial 9080) * 1948 : Live at Tuschinsky (

Telefunken Telefunken was a German radio and television producer, founded in Berlin in 1903 as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and the ''AEG (German company), Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ("General electricity company"). Prior to ...

) * 1948 : A brivele der mamme/Der alter zigoiner (with Orchestra Lew Stone) (Saturne 1055) * 1948 : Moshiah (with Orchestra) Guy Luypaerts (Saturne) * 1951 : Oif'n Weg Steht A Boim (Saturne) * 1952 : Misirlou (Vogue) * 1952 : Glik ( Tikva) * 1952 : Der Alter Tsigayner ( Tikva) * 1952 : Bessarabien (with Orchestra Abe Ellstein) (Hed-Arzi) * 1952 : A Sudenyu ( Tikva) * 1952 : Ikh Zing ( Tikva) * 1954 : In Concert (Ohel Shem Concert Hall, Tel Aviv) (Vogue LP85) * 1954 : Der emigrant (Telefunken UX 4673) * 1954 : You Got To Have A Little Mazl ( Tikva) * 1954 : Leo Fuld Sings Roumanische, Kretchme and other Yiddish Songs ( Hataklit HI 25005) * 1956 : Leo Fuld zingt (Telefunken) * 1958 : Leo Fuld (with Martin Roman and his Orchestra) (Simcha Records JLP 2) * 1959 : Poylish Yidl (Hataklit) * 1960 : Zigany Melody ( Tikva) * 1965 : Rumaynisher Kretshme (Hataklit) * 1967 : A Yiddische Momme/Recorded in 1967 (Artone MDS S - 3022) * 1967 : Doina/Spiel Zigeuner ( Artone) * 1970 : A Yiddische Momme (Vogue HJV 119) * 1972 : My Yiddische Mama (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

) * 1975 : Dat kleine beetje geluk op aarde (Europaclub) * 1991 : Shalom Israel ( Columbia) * 1997 : God Zegen Nederland EP (c'est sa dernière chanson) * 1997 : The Legend (c'est sa dernière album enregistrée) (Hippo Records 97002) * 1999 : Leo Fuld (

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

) * 2002 : Shalom Israel (Sony BMG) * 2002 : Slavia : le chant de l'Est (2 cd avec Leo Fuld) (Virgin) * 2003 : Leo Fuld Greatest Hits (Sony BMG) * 2005 : My Yiddishe mama (Artone) * 2006 : Vi ahin sol ich gayn (Hatikvah) * 2008 : The Legend - 10 ans Édition anniversaire (Hippo Records 97002)

Documentaries

* 1993 ''The International Singing Star Leo Fuld''(Netherlands TV) Screenwriter: Eveline van Dyck, Director of photography: Fred Mekenkamp, Director: Netty van Hoorn. Running time: 65 min. 16 mm film in a Dutch and English version. Distributed by Dutch Film Promotion Jan Luykenstraat 2, 107 ICM Amsterdam. In the mediatheek Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam * 1994 ''Ik Zing De Wereld Rond'' (Netherlands TV) Screenwriter: Leo Fuld, Director: Mohamed el-Fers. Running time: 60 min. S-VHS in Dutch version. Broadcast by MokumTV on the Amsterdam Salto Network. Broadcasttape with original material was lost at Salto, there is a VHS-copy in the mediatheek Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam * 1995 A YIDDISH X-MAS IN AMSTERDAM (Netherlands TV) With Leo Fuld and Daphne Meijer. Director: Mohamed el-Fers. Running time: 60 min. S-VHS in Dutch version. Broadcast by Salto Omroepstichting Amsterdam. In the Mediatheek Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam * 1996 THE LEGEND (TRAILER ONLY) Screenwriters: Leo Fuld, Mohamed el-Fers. Trailer for a MokumTV-serie with Berta van Laar, Levent Gemici, Zeki Güngör, Boris Yalçin and Leo Fuld. Running time: 6.56 min. S-VHS in Dutch with music The Legend composed by Kees Post. Broadcast by Salto Omroepstichting Amsterdam. * 1997 LEO FULD IN KOPSPIJKERS (Netherlands TV) Final of VARA television Kopspijkers with Jack Spijkerman. * 1997 FULD IN RAILAND (Netherlands TV) Netherlands 1997 Screenwriter/Director: Mohamed el-Fers. Running time: 60 min. S-VHS in Dutch version. Documentary about Leo Fuld and the Algerian musicgroup Railand. Broadcast by Salto Omroepstichting Amsterdam. * 1997 THE KING OF YIDDISH MUSIC MEETS QUEEN BEATRIX (Netherlands TV) Screenwriter/Director: Mohamed el-Fers. Running time: 60 min. S-VHS in Dutch version. Broadcast by Salto Omroepstichting Amsterdam. * 1997 OIF´M WEG STANT MAL A BOIM - GOODBYE LEO (Netherlands TV) Director: Mohamed el-Fers. Director of photography funeral Leo Fuld: Ria van Eck, Dick van der Geld. Running time: 60 min. S-VHS in Dutch version. Broadcast by Salto Omroepstichting Amsterdam.

Notes

External links

Among the royalty of Yiddish music by Morton Gold

''Songlines'' June 2006 review of The Legend CD, produced by Mohamed el-Fers

His last CD The Legend
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuld, Leo 1912 births 1997 deaths Jewish Dutch musicians 20th-century Dutch male singers Hazzans Yiddish-language singers of the Netherlands Musicians from Rotterdam