Lola Beltrán
Lola Beltrán | |
---|---|
Birth name | María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz |
Born |
El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico | 7 March 1932
Origin | Mexico City, Mexico |
Died |
24 March 1996 64) Mexico City, Mexico | (aged
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1947–1996 |
Labels | Peerless, RCA Victor |
Associated acts |
María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996), more commonly known as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican recording artist, actress, and television presenter.
Internationally renowned for her interpretation of the songs "Cucurrucucú paloma" and "Paloma negra", Beltrán sang before many world leaders and therefore is considered today as one of Mexico's most acclaimed ranchera singers. She was often nicknamed Lola la Grande ("Lola the Great").[1]
Biography
In her native town of El Rosario Sinaloa, Beltrán completed secretarial studies while she participated in singing competitions. She then moved to Mexico City, never to return to Rosario, working as a secretary at Mexico's number-one radio station, XEW, where she was professionally discovered by radio announcer Raul Mendivil.
She was married to matador and film actor Alfredo Leal and had two children with him: a daughter, singer María Elena Leal, and son José Leal. She entered the world of film in 1954 in El Tesoro de la Muerte. After appearing in dozens of films, most of them musicals, she obtained a starring role in the telenovela Mi rival with Saby Kamalich. From 1976 to 1984 she also hosted the musical shows Noches Tapatías and El Estudio de Lola Beltrán respectively.
Beltrán is still considered one of the most successful ranchera artists of all time. She gave concerts before various world leaders: President Charles de Gaulle of France, the leader of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, Soviet minister Andrei Gromyko, Premier of the Soviet Union Leonid Brezhnev, King of Spain Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, Queen Elizabeth II, American Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon and Presidents of Mexico Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
She was the first ranchera singer to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), the premier opera house and concert hall in Mexico. She also sang in the Olympia Music Hall in Paris, the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and the Conservatory of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the former Soviet Union.
Beltrán was honored in 1995 with her inclusion into a series of commemorative postage stamps, issued by her native Mexico, honoring 'Popular Idols of Radio'. This was done in recognition of her lifetime achievement in the realm of popular music and her success in spreading an appreciation of Mexican culture throughout the world.
Death
Soon after recording Disco del Siglo (English: Album of the Century) with Lucha Villa and Amalia Mendoza "La Tariácuri" (produced by Juan Gabriel) she died of a massive pulmonary embolism at Ángeles Hospital in Mexico City. Her body lay on display in the rotunda of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) in Mexico City in order to give her countrymen a chance to say goodbye. Only the most acclaimed artists, recording artists, poets, writers and actors are accorded this honor.
Telenovelas
- Mi rival (1973)
Television shows
- El estudio de Lola Beltrán
- Noches tapatías
Films
- Las fuerzas vivas (1975) as Chabela, Eufemio's wife
- Me caíste del cielo (1975) as Lupita
- Padre nuestro que estás en la tierra (1972) as Matilde
- Furias bajo el cielo (1971)
- Duelo en El Dorado (1969)
- Valentín de la Sierra (1968)
- Matar es fácil (1966)
- Tirando a gol (1966)
- Cucurrucucú Paloma (1965)
- Los Hermanos Muerte (1965)
- Canción del alma (1964) as Lola
- El revólver sangriento (1964)
- México de mi corazón (1964)
- Baila mi amor (1963)
- El hombre de papel (1963)
- La bandida (1963)
- Camino de la horca (1962)
- Besito a papá (1961)
- La joven mancornadora (1961)
- ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? (1961)
- México lindo y querido (1961)
- Las canciones unidas (1960)
- ¡Qué bonito amor! (1960)
- It Happened in Mexico (1958)
- Música en la noche (1958)
- Guitarras de medianoche (1958)
- Donde las dan las toman (1957)
- Rogaciano el huapanguero (1957)
- Pensión de artistas (1956)
- Con quién andan nuestras hijas? (1956) as Prieta de Xochimilco
- Una movida chuecaa (1956)
- De carne somos (1955)
- Bluebeard (1955)
- Camino de Guanajuato (1955)
- Pueblo quieto (1955)
- Soy un golfo (1955)
- Espaldas mojadas (1955)
- Al diablo las mujeres (1955)
- El barba azul (1955)
- La desconocida (1954)
- El tesoro de la muerte (1954)
- Song of Dolores (1947)
References
External links
- New York Times Biography.
- (Spanish) Biography at Red Escolar
- (Spanish) Profile at Puro Mariachi
- Unofficial Lola Beltran Resource by Jason Jacob (includes music clips)
- Some lyrics (English)