Kate Smith

Belter Kate Smith was an American institution in the 1930s and '40s and recorded frequently with Guy Lombardo (whose square sound suited her well) before moving into television in the '50s. Smith even sounded anachronistic during the height of her considerable popularity. This was a big part of her charm -- in an era when Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong were joking, scatting and tossing hip lingo at one another, Smith was there to sing "God Bless America" and make everyone feel that the world wasn't changing so much after all.