Merceditas Valdés
Merceditas Valdés | |
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Puchito, EGREM , RMM |
Mercedes Valdés Granit (September 24, 1922 – June 13, 1996), better known as Merceditas Valdés, was a
Life and career
Early life
Valdés was born in
First recordings and rise to fame
Valdés made her first recordings of Santería music in April 1949 for Victor. She sang in the same sessions as Evelia Collazo, another female akpwón and the mother of percussionist Julito Collazo.[1] The recordings were credited to Grupo Afro-Cubano.[8] In 1951, Valdés sang in the Rapsodia negra show directed by Enrique González Mántici at the CMQ radio station.[3] During the early 1950s, Valdés recorded more Santería tunes with the so-called Coro Yoruba y Tambores Batá, an ensemble directed by batá drummer Jesús Pérez and featuring other drummers such as Virgilio Ramírez, Trinidad Torregrosa and Carlos Aldama, as well as other singers: Celia Cruz, Caridad Suárez and Eugenio de la Rosa. They recorded several songs for Panart, appearing in the 1954 LP Santero.[1] She also recorded two EPs for SMC (New York City's Spanish Music Center): Cantos oriundos lucumí (Vols. 1 & 2).[1]
Apart from recording, Valdés took part in several tours, some with
After the Cuban Revolution, the commercialization of Afro-Cuban music was restricted. Nonetheless, Valdés managed to make several recordings in the early 1960s before effectively halting her recording career.[11] In 1959, she recorded her debut album, which comprised one side of secular Afro-Cuban music, recorded in collaboration with Los Bucaneros under the direction of Rafael Somavilla and Adolfo Guzmán, and one side of religious Santería music featuring Jesús Pérez and his group, Isupo Irawo (a new incarnation of the Coro Yoruba y Tambores Batá). The recordings were made at the former Panart studios and later released by Panart Nacionalizada when the label was taken over by the Cuban government.[1] Between 1959 and 1960, she recorded with percussionist Mongo Santamaría.[12] In 1960 and 1961, she recorded carnival music with Alberto Zayas for Impresora Cubana de Discos (ICD).[1] She then recorded two singles with Los Papines for the newly established EGREM.
Late career and death
Valdés resumed her recording career in 1982 with the recording of
Merceditas Valdés died on June 13, 1996, aged 73, in her hometown of Havana, almost five years after the death of her husband.[14][15] Her last album, Ache V, which had only been available in cassette format,[16] was re-released in 1998 by Ralph Mercado under the title Merceditas Valdés with her Big Band - The Final Recordings.[1]
Awards and honors
- 1996: UNESCO Picasso Medal and Diploma of Merit[6][14]
Discography
LPs
- 1954: Santero (Panart) – with others under the direction of Facundo Rivero
- 1960: Merceditas Valdés (Panart Nacionalizada) – with Los Bucaneros
- 1961: Carnaval 1960-61 (ICD) – with others under the direction of Carlos Ansa
- 1982: Aché (EGREM)
- 1988: Aché II (EGREM)
- 1989: Orishas: Aché III (EGREM)
- 1990: Cubanísimo (EGREM/Fonomusic) – with others under the direction of Andrés Alén and Ramón Huerta
- 1990: Aché IV (EGREM) – with Yoruba Andabo
- 1993: Aché V (EGREM) – with Yoruba Andabo
Singles & EPs
- 195x: Canto oriundo lucumí (1 & 2) (SMC)
- 1957: "Er día que nací yo" / "Ya me cansé" (Puchito)
- 1960: "Una pena" / "Vida, mi delirio es quererte" (Panart Nacionalizada)
- 1961: "A coger la guampara" (INC)
- 1961: "Ochún" / "Yemayá" (INC)
- 1964: Rezos yorubas (EGREM)
- 1964: "Invocación a Elegua y a Changó" / "Tasca-Tasca" (EGREM)
- 1964: "Muriéndome de risa" / "Devuélveme el coco" (EGREM)
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Díaz Ayala, Cristóbal (Fall 2013). "Merceditas Valdés" (PDF). Encyclopedic Discography of Cuban Music 1925-1960. Florida International University Libraries. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ Ariel, Sigfredo (2006). Liner notes to Las voces del siglo. Havana, Cuba: EGREM. CD 0808.
- ^ ISBN 0822332124.
- Rovi. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Mestas, María del Carmen (1998). Pasión de rumbero (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: Puvill Libros. p. 34.
- ^ a b c d Pendás, José (October 14, 2013). "Merceditas Valdes in her 85th birthday". Radio Cadena Habana. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Martínez, Mayra A. (1993). "Merceditas Valdés, cantar siempre". Cubanos en la música (in Spanish). Havana, Cuba: Editorial Letras Cubanas. p. 61.
- ^ "Advance Record Releases". The Billboard. 61 (23): 128. June 4, 1949.
- ^ Reyes Fortún, José (February 7, 2014). "Magia y estética en el canto de la "Pequeña Ashé"". Habana Radio. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Gómez, José Manuel (1995). Guía esencial de la salsa (in Spanish). Valencia, Spain: La Máscara.
- ISBN 978-1-57027-058-1.
- ^ Fernández, Raúl; Carp, David M.; Sanabria, Bobby. "Mongo Santamaría - Our Man In Havana". Descarga.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Valdés, Alicia (2005). Con música, textos y presencia de mujer (in Spanish). Havana, Cuba: Ediciones Unión. p. 319.
- ^ a b "Muere la cantante Merceditas Valdés". El País (in Spanish). June 14, 1996. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Cuba llora a Merceditas Valdés". El Tiempo (in Spanish). June 14, 1996. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Aché V". Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí. Retrieved February 24, 2018.