Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa | |
---|---|
Born | Haydée Mercedes Sosa 9 July 1935 San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina |
Died | 4 October 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentina | (aged 74)
Occupation | Singer |
Years active | 1950–2009 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments | Vocals |
Haydée Mercedes Sosa (Latin American Spanish:
Sosa performed in venues such as the
Life
Sosa was born on 9 July 1935, in
Sosa and her first husband, Manuel Oscar Matus, with whom she had one son, were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement (which was called nuevo cancionero in Argentina).[9] Her second record was Canciones con Fundamento, a collection of Argentine folk songs.
In 1967, Sosa toured the United States and Europe with great success.[citation needed] In later years, she performed and recorded extensively, broadening her repertoire to include material from throughout Latin America.
In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean musician Violeta Parra in 1971, including what was to become one of Sosa's signature songs, Gracias a la vida.[4][10] She further popularized of songs written by Milton Nascimento of Brazil and Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez both from Cuba.[4]
After the
Sosa returned to Argentina from her exile in Europe in 1982,[9] several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Falklands War, and gave a series of concerts at the Teatro Ópera in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller. In subsequent years, Sosa continued to tour both in Argentina and abroad, performing in such venues as the Lincoln Center in New York City and the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. In poor health for much of the 1990s, she performed a comeback show in Argentina in 1998.[7] In 1994, she played in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.[4] In 2002, she sold out both Carnegie Hall in New York and the Colosseum in Rome in the same year.[4]
A supporter of Perón, she favored leftist causes throughout her life. She opposed President Carlos Menem, who was in office from 1989 to 1999, and supported the election of Néstor Kirchner, who became president in 2003.[11] Sosa was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean.[9][12]
Sosa disliked being identified as a protest singer.[13] [14]While she was outright in her political stances, Sosa said the following on the position of the artist:
“An artist isn’t political in the party political sense – they have a constituency, which is their public – it is the poetry that matters most of all.”
In a career spanning four decades, she worked with performers across several genres and generations, folk, opera, pop, rock, including
Sosa participated in a 1999 production of
Sosa was the co-chair of the Earth Charter International Commission.
Awards
Sosa won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 (Misa Criolla),[17] 2003 (Acústico),[18] 2006 (Corazón Libre),[19] 2009 (Cantora 1, which also won Best Recording Package and was nominated for Album of the Year),[20] and 2011 (Deja La Vida Volar),[21] as well as several international awards.
In 1995, Konex Foundation from Argentina granted her the Diamond Konex Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Argentina, as the most important personality in the popular music of her country in the last decade.[22]
Death
Suffering from recurrent
Her body was placed on display at the
Sosa's obituary in
Tributes
In 2019, Sosa was celebrated by a Google Doodle. The doodle was showcased in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Iceland, Sweden, Serbia, Greece, Israel and Vietnam.[29]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Sosa at number 160 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[30]
Discography
Sosa recorded forty albums.[4][9]
Studio albums
Year | Album details |
---|---|
1962 | La Voz De La Zafra
|
1965 | Canciones Con Fundamento
|
1966 | Hermano
|
1966 | Yo No Canto Por Cantar
|
1967 | Para Cantarle A Mi Gente
|
1968 | Con Sabor A Mercedes Sosa
|
1969 | Mujeres Argentinas
|
1970 | El Grito De La Tierra
|
1970 | Navidad Con Mercedes Sosa
|
1971 | Homenaje a Violeta Parra
|
1972 | Hasta La Victoria
|
1972 | Cantata Sudamericana
|
1973 | Traigo Un Pueblo En Mi Voz
|
1975 | A Que Florezca Mi Pueblo
|
1976 | En Dirección Del Viento
|
1977 | Mercedes Sosa Interpreta A Atahualpa Yupanqui
|
1979 | Serenata Para La Tierra De Uno
|
1981 | A Quien Doy / Cuando Me Acuerdo de Mi País
|
1982 | Como Un Pájaro Libre
|
1983 | Mercedes Sosa
|
1984 | ¿Será Posible El Sur?
|
1985 | Vengo A Ofrecer Mi Corazón
|
1986 | Mercedes Sosa '86
|
1987 | Mercedes Sosa '87
|
1993 | Sino
|
1994 | Gestos De Amor
|
1996 | Escondido En Mi País
|
1997 | Alta Fidelidad (w/Charly García)
|
1998 | Al Despertar
|
1999 | Misa Criolla
|
2005 | Corazón Libre
|
2009 | Cantora 1 (w/various artists)
|
2009 | Cantora 2 (w/various artists)
|
2011 | Censurada
|
2015 | Lucerito
|
EPs
Year | EP details |
---|---|
1975 | Niño De Mañana
|
Live albums
Year | Album details |
---|---|
1973 | Si Se Calla El Cantor (with Gloria Martin)
|
1980 | Gravado Ao Vivo No Brasil
|
1982 | Mercedes Sosa en Argentina
|
1985 | Corazón Americano (with Milton Nascimento & León Gieco)
|
1989 | Live in Europe
|
1991 | De Mí
|
2002 | Acústico En Vivo
|
2003 | Argentina Quiere Cantar (with Víctor Heredia & León Gieco)
|
2010 | Deja La Vida Volar (En Gira)
|
2014 | Angel
|
Compilation albums
Year | Album details |
---|---|
1975 | Disco De Oro
|
1983 | Recital
|
1988 | Amigos Míos
|
1993 | 30 Años
|
1995 | Oro
|
1997 | The Best Of Mercedes Sosa
|
2013 | Siempre En Ti
|
Filmography
- Güemes, la tierra en armas (1971)
- Argentinísima (1972)
- Esta es mi Argentina (1974)
- Mercedes Sosa, como un pájaro libre(1983)
- Será possible el sur: Mercedes Sosa (1985)
- Historias de Argentina en vivo (2001)
Further reading
- Christensen, Anette (2019). Mercedes Sosa - The Voice of Hope. Denmark: Tribute2life Publishing. ISBN 978-87-998216-5-5.
- Christensen, Anette (2019). Mercedes Sosa - More Than a Song. Denmark: Tribute2life Publishing. ISBN 978-87-998216-7-9. (Abridged version of Mercedes Sosa - The Voice of Hope)
- Braceli, Rodolfo (2010). Mercedes Sosa. La Negra (in Spanish). Italy: Perrone. ISBN 978-88-6004-347-4.
- Matus, Fabián (2016). Mercedes Sosa. La Mami (in Spanish). Argentina: Planeta. ISBN 978-950-49-5247-3.
References
- ^ Mercedes Sosa at BrainyHistory.com
- ^ "Singer Mercedes Sosa: The voice of the 'voiceless ones' outlasts South American dictatorships".
- ^ Heckman, Don (29 October 1995). "POP MUSIC : The Voice Heard Round the World : Mercedes Sosa, a compelling figure in world music and a social activist, will make a rare L.A. appearance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa dies at 74". France 24. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ Heckman, Don (29 October 1995). "POP MUSIC : The Voice Heard Round the World : Mercedes Sosa, a compelling figure in world music and a social activist, will make a rare L.A. appearance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America. Dir. Rodrigo H. Villa. First Run Features, 2013. Web.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mercedes Sosa: Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies". BBC. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ a b Associated Press[dead link]
- ^ Interview with Mercedes Sosa Archived 16 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Magazin Berliner Zeitung, 25 October 2003. (in German)
- ^ Mercedes Sosa in concert Archived 4 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Heckman, Don (29 October 1995). "POP MUSIC : The Voice Heard Round the World : Mercedes Sosa, a compelling figure in world music and a social activist, will make a rare L.A. appearance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Bill (7 October 2009). "A U.S. musician pays tribute to Mercedes Sosa". People's World. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "In Profile: Mercedes Sosa". soundsandcolours.com. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- YouTube – a tribute to Che Guevara
- ^ "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2000)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2003)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2006)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2009)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2011)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Premios Konex 1995: Música Popular". Fundación Konex (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ ""En ningún momento sufrió", dijo el hijo de Mercedes Sosa" (in Spanish). October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
- ^ a b c Javier Doberti (4 October 2009). "Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa, 'voice of Latin America,' dies at 74". CNN. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ "Argentine folk legend Mercedes Sosa dead at 74". Bangkok Post. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ a b "Argentine folk icon Sosa dies at 74". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ "Continúa la procesión en el Congreso para despedir a Mercedes Sosa".
- ^ a b Helen Popper (4 October 2009). "Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa dies at 74". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ "Celebrating Mercedes Sosa". Doodles Archive, Google. 31 January 2019.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
External links
- Tribute to Mercedes Sosa (in Portuguese BR)
- Mercedes Sosa's website (in Spanish)
- Mercedes Sosa's News (in Spanish)
- Mercedes Sosa at IMDb