In 1964, while France vibrated on its sweet yé-yé, a young woman all in black, formed at the inaugural school of cabaret, definitely imposed its singular voice in the tricolor musical landscape. Rivaling with a Brel or a Brassens, the one that is simply defined as "a woman who sings" touches a large public in full on words and piano notes the morsures of existence. But if his compositions appeal to the universe, it's the source of his own experience that Barbara has evoked their moving authenticity. Monique Serf (1930-1997) was a French singer. She took her stage name, Barbara, from her grandmother, Varvara Brodsky, a native of Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Her song "L'Aigle noir" sold 1 million copies in twelve hours.