Before Streisand removed the "a" from her name she was "Barbara".

Barbara Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 24, 1942 to Emanuel Streisand, a teacher, and Diana Rosen Streisand, his wife. Barbara was their second child — Sheldon, her brother, was born seven years earlier. Sixteen months later, in August 1943, Emanuel Streisand suddenly died from the complications of an epileptic seizure. Diana, grief-stricken, moved her two children to her parents' 3-bedroom apartment on Pulaski Street in Brooklyn. There, Barbara was cared for by a knitting lady named Toby Berakow.

Barbara, attending PS25, sang for the first time publicly during a PTA program.

Barbra has said, "I was the kid on the block that didn't have a father but had a good voice."

She would harmonize on the apartment stoops to songs from the hit parade, including Joni James' hit single, "Have You Heard?"

Meanwhile, Barbara's mother met Louis Kind. He moved their family to an apartment building at the corner of Newkirk and Nostrand Avenues in 1950.

In 1951, Diana brought Barbara to MGM Records in New York to audition for a record contract. Barbra sang "Have You Heard?".

Barbara's half-sister, Rosalind [later, "Roslyn"] was born in 1952. Streisand did not like her new step-father, and dreamed of escaping her home and Brooklyn.

Diana and Barbara (now, 13 years old) went to Nola Recording Studios in 1955 and recorded acetate records. Diana sang "One Kiss" and Barbara sang "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart" and "You'll Never Know". (This was dramatized by Barbra in her 2000 concert, Timeless.)

Barbara attended Erasmus Hall High School. After school, she worked at the Choy's Chinese restaurant.

"The Diary of Anne Frank" was the first Broadway show Barbara saw in 1956. Perhaps it was serendipity that "Anne Frank" was directed by Garson Kanin, who would eventually direct Barbra on Broadway in "Funny Girl".

It was 1957, at age 15, when Barbara went away for the summer to Malden Bridge Playhouse, and later the Cherry Lane theater in Manhattan, the Clinton Playhouse in Connecticut, and the Garret Theater on 49th Street. She graduated from High School in 1959 and moved to Manhattan shortly after that.

Barbra's story is continued here >>