Inge Ginsberg fled the Holocaust and subsequently composed music for some iconic singers, but now 96-year-old Ginsberg is known as “Death Metal Grandma.”
The New York Times has unveiled a short documentary on the fascinating Ginsberg, who grew up in Austria. Just prior to World War II, she escaped the Holocaust by fleeing to a refugee camp in Switzerland. She would eventually move to Los Angeles with her husband, and together they would go on to compose music for Nat King Cole, Doris Day and Dean Martin.
As Ms. Ginsberg grew older, she kept writing lyrics and poetry, and realized she needed to find new ways to reach an audience. How was she going to gain attention in a society where older women are neglected, silenced and often cast off?
At age 93, she discovered a solution: death metal, where you can shout your lyrics instead of sing them. It offered a new opportunity for reinvention at an age where those chances can be elusive. So beyond the spectacle of her unlikely performances, Ms. Ginsberg’s story is really that of a woman who is finding new ways to be heard.
Check out the 12 minute documentary video, below.