Graciela Naranjo
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Graciela Naranjo | |
|---|---|
Caracas, Venezuela | |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and actress |
Graciela Naranjo (December 25, 1916 – April 11, 2001) was a
Career
Graciela Naranjo was born in Maiquetía, Vargas. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to Caracas to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing Christmas music in a church choral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at Broadcasting Caracas when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm contralto voice as her innovative behind-the-beat phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments.
From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including
With the establishment of television in Venezuela in the early 1950s, Naranjo hosted her own TV show at the now-defunct Televisa from 1954 to 1955. At this time, she received contract offers from Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, but chose to stick around Caracas and raised a family instead of pursuing an international artistic career. She put off potential success until finally becoming a major TV attraction while in her 40s, retiring in 1961 in the Renny Ottolina TV show. After that, she performed on a periodic basis on radio, universities and nostalgia shows until the early 1980s.
Graciela Naranjo was survived by her son Alberto Naranjo and her daughter Angela Mercedes Pratt; her grandchildren Grecia Garrett, Jorge Naranjo and Luis Naranjo, and great granddaughter Kai Naranjo.
Discography
As soloist
- Los Cantos del Corazón (1995)
- El Legado (1998)
As guest
- Cosas del Alma - Delia (1993)
- Tu bolero soy yo - Various interpreters (1998)
- Dulce y Picante - Alberto Naranjo (1998)
- Cada piano con su tema - Ignacio Izcaray (2000)
See also
External links
- La Señora Bolero (Spanish)
- Venezuela Analítica (Spanish)
- Biblioteca Babab (Spanish)
- Agustín Lara – Sus más distinguidos intérpretes (Spanish)
- La historia del bolero latinoamericano (Spanish)
- Tal Cual (obituario) (Spanish)
- The Dead Stars Club (obituary)