Birth name Lupe Victoria Yoli Years active 1958–1980 Origin Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Name La Lupe | Genres Salsa, Bolero Role Singer Occupation(s) Singer | |
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Also known as La LupeLa Yiyiyi"La Reina de la Cancion Latina (The Queen of Latin Soul)" Born December 23, 1936 ( 1939-12-23 ) Albums Reina De La Cancion Latina, The Best Associated acts Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz Parents Tirso Yoli Michel, Paula Raymond Soler Similar People Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Olga Guillot, Mongo Santamaria, Johnny Pacheco Died February 29, 1992 (aged 55), The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States | ||
La lupe starring lauren velez
La Lupe (born Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond) (Santiago de Cuba, 23 December 1939 – Bronx, New York City, New York, 29 February 1992), was a Cuban singer of several musical genres, including boleros, guarachas and Latin soul in particular, known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances.
Contents
- La lupe starring lauren velez
- La lupe queen of latin soul 12
- Career
- Religious beliefs
- Death
- Original LPs
- Compilations
- Religious albums 198689
- Key numbers
- Films theatre
- Popular Culture
- References
La lupe queen of latin soul 12
Career
La Lupe was born in the barrio of San Pedrito in Santiago de Cuba. Her father was a worker at the local Bacardí distillery and a major influence on her early life. In 1954 she participated on a radio program which invited fans to sing imitations of their favorite stars. Lupe escaped from school to sing a bolero of Olga Guillot's, called Miénteme ("Lie to Me"), and won the competition. The family moved to Havana in 1955, where she was enrolled at the University of Havana to become a teacher. She admired Celia Cruz and like her, she graduated from teaching instruction before starting to sing.
Lupe married in 1958 and formed a musical trio with her husband Eulogio "Yoyo" Reyes and another female singer. This group, Los Tropiccuba, broke up along with her marriage in 1960. She began to perform her own act at a small nightclub in Havana, La Red (The Net), which had a clientele of distinguished foreigners. She acquired a devoted following, which included Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Marlon Brando. She released her first album, Con El Diablo en El Cuerpo (With the Devil Inside) in 1960, for RCA Victor. Her first television appearance on Puerto Rican television caused a stir due to her frenzied, vibrant performance, which reportedly shocked some viewers.
In 1962 she was exiled to México. She approached Celia Cruz and asked for her support to get work, and in turn, Celia recommended her to Mongo Santamaría in New York. In New York City, Lupe performed at a cabaret named La Berraca and started a new career, making more than 10 records in five years. She married a second time, to salsa musician Willie García, with whom she had a daughter. That marriage also ended in divorce.
Lupe's passionate performances covered the range of music: son montuno, bolero, boogaloo, venturing into other Caribbean styles like Dominican merengue, Puerto Rican bomba and plena. It was her recordings which brought Tite Curet Alonso into prominence as a composer of tough-minded boleros in the salsa style. For a good part of the 1960s she was the most acclaimed Latin singer in New York City due to her partnership with Tito Puente. She did a wide variety of cover versions in either Spanish or accented English, including "Yesterday", "Dominique" by The Singing Nun, "Twist & Shout", "Unchained Melody", "Fever" and "America" from West Side Story. Fred Weinberg, who was her favorite audio engineer, also produced several of her albums. Weinberg called La Lupe "a hurricane" in the studio due to her intense singing and enthusiasm.
The quality of her performances became increasingly inconsistent. There were persistent rumors of her drug addiction and her life was "a real earthquake" according to statements of close friends. She ended some of her on-stage engagements being treated with an oxygen mask. Although she may have been poorly managed by her label Fania Records in particular, she managed and produced herself in mid-career, after she parted ways with Tito Puente. However, in the late 1960s her ephemeral career went downhill. The explosion of salsa and the arrival of Celia Cruz to New York were the determining factors that sent her into the background and her career declined thereafter.
Religious beliefs
A devout follower of Santería, she continued to practice her religion. Her record label Fania Records ended her contract in the late 1970s, perhaps simply because of her falling record sales. She retired in 1980, and found herself destitute by the early 1980s. In 1984 she injured her spine while trying to hang a curtain in her home; she initially used a wheelchair, then later a cane. An electrical fire made her homeless. After being healed at an evangelical Christian crusade, La Lupe abandoned her Santería roots and became a born-again Christian. In 1991, she gave a concert at La Sinagoga in New York, singing Christian songs.
Death
La Lupe died of a heart attack at the age of 52 and is buried in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.
Original LPs
This section is believed to be complete:
Compilations
This section is not complete.
Religious albums 1986–89
Key numbers
Short list of characteristic numbers, taken from Giro Radamés' Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba and compilation albums: