Streisand's career began on the stage. She studied theater in high school before moving to Manhattan post-graduation, where she would make her Broadway debut in 1962. By this time, Streisand had solidified her status as a club singer after bringing down the house at a talent contest hosted by a Greenwich Village gay nightclub. Once 1963 rolled around, she was appearing on television and released her debut album, "The Barbra Streisand Album." Her career-changing role came in 1964 when she was cast as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl."
Audiences fell in love with Streisand's unmistakable timbre — slightly nasal, full of rich vibrato, and heartbreakingly emotive. A brown-haired Jewish girl with slightly crossed eyes and a distinctive nose, she dared any poor, unassuming soul to be so distracted by her features that her immense talent wouldn't move them. It proved impossible for anyone who tried. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she knew it.
Still, that didn't stop some people from trying to change her anyway. From her album names to her appearance to her moniker, executives were adamant about squeezing Streisand into a more marketable, palatable box. Their first attempt to do so was a suggestion to Streisand to change her name to Barbara Sands.
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