Lucecita Benítez
Encyclopedia
Luz Esther Benítez better known in the music world as Lucecita, is a Puerto Rican
singer.
as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola
of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger
, alongside Lissette
and Chucho Avellanet
, among others. She was a participant of Telemundo
channel 2's El Club del Clan (The Clan's Club) television
show, and she occasionally would show up at the Show de Las 12 (12 O' Clock Show) to sing too. In 1964, she had her first major hit, with the song "Un Lugar Para los Dos" ("A Place For Both of Us"). This was a cover song of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You", but sung in Spanish by Lucecita.
That began a series of hits for Lucecita, and at the same time, it began a rivalry between her and fellow New Waver, Peru
vian born, Cuban-descended Puerto Rican resident Lissette
, also a musical legend.
Benítez's most important career step came in 1969, when she won the Festival de la Cancion Latina (Festival of the Latin Song) in Mexico
. She participated with two songs, "Genesis" by G.V. Lloveras and "Energia De Mis Manos", by M. de Jesus. "Genesis" received the highest points (223) in the festival and Lucecita also won best dressed performer. Pedro Rivera Toledo's arrangement won as best, although the orchestra was conducted by Jose S. Marroquin. The festival was held at the Teatro Ferrocarrilero in Mexico. Lucecita became an instant hit in Mexico and throughout the Latino music world. She then became ill with asthma and needed to be cared for by then President Lyndon Johnson's personal physician. Lucecita's attire was designed by Puerto Rican dressmaker Martin, who used silk fabric imported from the East. Her most impressive thought the evening she won the festival was when several medical students from Puerto Rico studying in Mexico waved their country's flag after she was announced as winner. It was such that she had to restart the opening strains to "Genesis" as she became choked up with tears. She was received in Puerto Rico's International Airport after the festival ended with such importance and joy that schools had to be closed that morning while her caravan rode through the streets of San Juan. Her most happy and ardent fans were the have-nots who congregated at the Luis Llorens Torres
housing projects who applauded Lucecita as her caravan drove by. This important event in her career led to her performing with Sammy Davis Jr. and to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
. RCA
signed her immediately, and her career's star rose considerably, touring all over Latin America
and in Spain
. She also performed for many years at the Club Caribe at Caribe Hilton Hotel hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico
.
Lucecita still does world tours and performs live frequently. She has her own recording company, Grabaciones Lobo (Wolf Records). In 1994, she participated in Banco Popular's dedicatory to Jose Feliciano
. At the same time, she also performed at Carnegie Hall
, where she recorded a live album to honor the memory of salsa
singer Ismael Rivera
.
Recently, Puerto Rico's government celebrated her 1969 triumph of "Genesis" with a gala celebration. The town of Caguas dedicated a museum of memorabilia in her honor. Her old friend and fan Roberto Tirado, pictured in the above photo with Lucecita taken at the NYC ACE Awards in 2000, has contributed to this museum with many items personally owned by Lucecita which he saved during her time at the height of her fame.
Recently, in 2007, Lucecita was involved in a traffic accident where no one was injured. This happened in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after she had left a dinner party. She was cleared of any wrongdoing. She travels frequently to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she has a huge fan following after her participation in a soap opera singing songs from her excellent album, Exitos Callejeros. Lucecita's biography, co-written by Dr. Angel Opio and Lucecita, will be out soon with many exciting revelations by Lucecita. Dr. Opio has interviewed fans, photographers, producers, etc., in order to make this book a best seller and an authentic review and historical perspective of Lucecita's musical career.
, Libertad Lamarque
, etc. have been influences on Lucecita's musical career. However, Lucecita has credited her mother, Mrs. Luz Maria Rosado Benitez, as the major, if not sole, influence on her music. Lucecita has stated numerous times in the media such as the press, radio and television that she credits her mother for her musical interest and influence. Specifically, she states that since her father, Mr. Juan Benitez, was a merchant marine and was always away from home most of the time, her mother would sing throughout the house while she did her chores. Many of the songs were tangos and boleros. Lucecita picked up on this and also sang while she dusted, ironed for her brothers, etc. One day her mother heard her from the another room and was startled to hear that Lucecita's voice was almost like her own. This was brought on by her brother Miguel, who said to his mother that he wanted her to sing when he brought a certain girlfriend to the house. Mrs. Benitez told Miguel that it was not her singing, that it was Lucecita! From then on, Mrs. Benitez insisted that her older brother Enrique would take Lucecita to talent shows throughout San Juan. This was done mostly when Mr. Benitez was away on leave as he did not want his daughter to become involved in show business; he wanted her to become a lawyer, teacher, or some other profession.
, seen on Sundays at 8PM nationwide. Sullivan was so impressed by her unique voice that he made sure she closed his show that December 1970. She sang "Todas Las Mananas" ("Every Morning") accompanied by conga player Candido. Despite being accompanied by her manager Paquito Cordero
, her personal assistants and make-up artist, previously mentioned New York fan club president Roberto Tirado, she was naturally extremely nervous at this nationwide exposure. Bandleader Nelson Riddle
, Frank Sinatra
's conductor, was also Sullivan's house band leader. Riddle made sure that Lucecita was at ease; there was only one dress rehearsal before the live show. Sullivan allowed Lucecita to do her act in jeans and t-shirt, much to the other performer's chagrin. Lucecita's closing act was the beginning of her international musical induction.
and David Ortiz. This song became a number one hit both in Puerto Rico and the USA. She started wearing long, flowing robes and attended philosophy classes at the University of Puerto Rico. She traveled the world. She designed and promoted several concerts, "Traigo Un Pueblo En Mi Voz" and "En Las Manos Del Pueblo". However, the people began to have issues with Lucecita's new message of hope and respect for her people: the poor, the unaffected, the undeserved. She had geared away from the type of music the people wanted to hear: ballads of love and despair. Lucecita began to hit hard times. Work was less forthcoming. The same people who had compared her to France's Edith Piaf
now turned their back on her. Lucecita was at a career dead end and she inevitably turned into depression, hopelessness, and solitude. It did not help matters that she was seen at many conventions where independence for Puerto Rico was at issue. She was labeled as such and that sealed her career's supposed demise. However, Lucecita had never pledged to any political party per se; she wanted her music to be heard by everyone. She became involved with much of the famous Puerto Rican poet Julia De Burgos
' work and wanted to set it to music. She was thus a bohemian living in Old San Juan in an apartment that she was able to lease while she still had the means. She traveled to New York and performed at Carnegie Hall in an attempt by producer/promoter Hal Kaye and Roberto Tirado to revive her musical career. Only half of the famous Carnegie Hall was sold even though Lucecita performed magnificently. She received a standing ovation when she sang "Carta A Un Artista", ("A Letter To An Artist") a number by Argentinian composer Alberto Cortez
. Most of the songs in her "En Las Manos Del Pueblo" concert and recording were written by Mr. Cortez. In September 2008, Lucecita performed to a sold out concert at the Bellas Artes in Puerto Rico.
Nota de Carmen González Huguet: "Carta a un artista" es una canción que Alberto Cortés, cantautor argentino, compuso en homenaje al artista chileno Antonio Prieto. Ver: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=8hOJb-EedQU
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
singer.
Biography
Lucecita was a member of what is historically known in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola
Nueva ola
The Nueva ola is a term applied to a loose group of musicians, mainly in Spanish speaking South America, who played and introduced rock and roll and other American and European music of the 50s and 60s to their countries. Artist associated with the Nueva ola reached their peak of popularity in the...
of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger
Alfred D. Herger
Alfredo Domingo Herger is a famous former Puerto Rican television show host and a psychologist. He has been labeled the Ed Sullivan of Puerto Rico in local media, due to his strong influence in Puerto Rican pop culture and his success as a television presenter.-Early life:Herger, of Spanish and...
, alongside Lissette
Lissette
Lissette Álvarez is a singer, songwriter and record producer from Peru. She is best known for recording a Spanish language version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1985.-Early life:...
and Chucho Avellanet
Chucho Avellanet
Armando Hipólito Avellanet González , nicknamed "Chucho" is a Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor...
, among others. She was a participant of Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
channel 2's El Club del Clan (The Clan's Club) television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show, and she occasionally would show up at the Show de Las 12 (12 O' Clock Show) to sing too. In 1964, she had her first major hit, with the song "Un Lugar Para los Dos" ("A Place For Both of Us"). This was a cover song of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You", but sung in Spanish by Lucecita.
That began a series of hits for Lucecita, and at the same time, it began a rivalry between her and fellow New Waver, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian born, Cuban-descended Puerto Rican resident Lissette
Lissette
Lissette Álvarez is a singer, songwriter and record producer from Peru. She is best known for recording a Spanish language version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1985.-Early life:...
, also a musical legend.
Benítez's most important career step came in 1969, when she won the Festival de la Cancion Latina (Festival of the Latin Song) in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. She participated with two songs, "Genesis" by G.V. Lloveras and "Energia De Mis Manos", by M. de Jesus. "Genesis" received the highest points (223) in the festival and Lucecita also won best dressed performer. Pedro Rivera Toledo's arrangement won as best, although the orchestra was conducted by Jose S. Marroquin. The festival was held at the Teatro Ferrocarrilero in Mexico. Lucecita became an instant hit in Mexico and throughout the Latino music world. She then became ill with asthma and needed to be cared for by then President Lyndon Johnson's personal physician. Lucecita's attire was designed by Puerto Rican dressmaker Martin, who used silk fabric imported from the East. Her most impressive thought the evening she won the festival was when several medical students from Puerto Rico studying in Mexico waved their country's flag after she was announced as winner. It was such that she had to restart the opening strains to "Genesis" as she became choked up with tears. She was received in Puerto Rico's International Airport after the festival ended with such importance and joy that schools had to be closed that morning while her caravan rode through the streets of San Juan. Her most happy and ardent fans were the have-nots who congregated at the Luis Llorens Torres
Luis Lloréns Torres
Luis Llorens Torres , was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and politician. He was an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
housing projects who applauded Lucecita as her caravan drove by. This important event in her career led to her performing with Sammy Davis Jr. and to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
signed her immediately, and her career's star rose considerably, touring all over Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. She also performed for many years at the Club Caribe at Caribe Hilton Hotel hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
.
Lucecita still does world tours and performs live frequently. She has her own recording company, Grabaciones Lobo (Wolf Records). In 1994, she participated in Banco Popular's dedicatory to Jose Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
. At the same time, she also performed at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, where she recorded a live album to honor the memory of salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singer Ismael Rivera
Ismael Rivera
Ismael "Maelo" Rivera , was a renowned Puerto Rican composer and singer of salsa music.-Early life:Ismael Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on October 5, 1931. He was the first of five children born to Luis and Margarita Rivera. His father, Luis, was a carpenter and his mother a housewife...
.
Recently, Puerto Rico's government celebrated her 1969 triumph of "Genesis" with a gala celebration. The town of Caguas dedicated a museum of memorabilia in her honor. Her old friend and fan Roberto Tirado, pictured in the above photo with Lucecita taken at the NYC ACE Awards in 2000, has contributed to this museum with many items personally owned by Lucecita which he saved during her time at the height of her fame.
Recently, in 2007, Lucecita was involved in a traffic accident where no one was injured. This happened in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after she had left a dinner party. She was cleared of any wrongdoing. She travels frequently to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she has a huge fan following after her participation in a soap opera singing songs from her excellent album, Exitos Callejeros. Lucecita's biography, co-written by Dr. Angel Opio and Lucecita, will be out soon with many exciting revelations by Lucecita. Dr. Opio has interviewed fans, photographers, producers, etc., in order to make this book a best seller and an authentic review and historical perspective of Lucecita's musical career.
Influences
Many people and fans have stated that artists such as Olga GuillotOlga Guillot
Olga Guillot was a Cuban singer who was known to be the "queen of bolero". She was a native of the Cuban city of Santiago.Guillot and her family moved to Havana, Cuba when she was a small child...
, Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque was an Argentine-Mexican actress and singer. Originally from Argentina, she reached fame throughout Latin America while living in Mexico and working in Mexican cinema.-Career:...
, etc. have been influences on Lucecita's musical career. However, Lucecita has credited her mother, Mrs. Luz Maria Rosado Benitez, as the major, if not sole, influence on her music. Lucecita has stated numerous times in the media such as the press, radio and television that she credits her mother for her musical interest and influence. Specifically, she states that since her father, Mr. Juan Benitez, was a merchant marine and was always away from home most of the time, her mother would sing throughout the house while she did her chores. Many of the songs were tangos and boleros. Lucecita picked up on this and also sang while she dusted, ironed for her brothers, etc. One day her mother heard her from the another room and was startled to hear that Lucecita's voice was almost like her own. This was brought on by her brother Miguel, who said to his mother that he wanted her to sing when he brought a certain girlfriend to the house. Mrs. Benitez told Miguel that it was not her singing, that it was Lucecita! From then on, Mrs. Benitez insisted that her older brother Enrique would take Lucecita to talent shows throughout San Juan. This was done mostly when Mr. Benitez was away on leave as he did not want his daughter to become involved in show business; he wanted her to become a lawyer, teacher, or some other profession.
1970's
Lucecita's career was at her height during this time. Here, producer/host Ed Sullivan was in Puerto Rico on vacation and caught Lucecita's Caribe Hilton show and invited her to his CBS TV program, The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, seen on Sundays at 8PM nationwide. Sullivan was so impressed by her unique voice that he made sure she closed his show that December 1970. She sang "Todas Las Mananas" ("Every Morning") accompanied by conga player Candido. Despite being accompanied by her manager Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero , was a comedian and television producer and also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...
, her personal assistants and make-up artist, previously mentioned New York fan club president Roberto Tirado, she was naturally extremely nervous at this nationwide exposure. Bandleader Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's conductor, was also Sullivan's house band leader. Riddle made sure that Lucecita was at ease; there was only one dress rehearsal before the live show. Sullivan allowed Lucecita to do her act in jeans and t-shirt, much to the other performer's chagrin. Lucecita's closing act was the beginning of her international musical induction.
Proud of Her Heritage
Lucecita transformed her image into a rebellious and angry genius. Gone was her straightened hair, her light-skinned make-up and former appeasing to the masses. She now confronted the press with reserve and disdain: they had castigated her by writing terrible things about her when she let her natural "afro" hair style grow. It was now her turn to say what she felt in her heart. She recorded an album, with no title, just a drawing in color by a well known artist. The main song in the LP was "Soy de Una Raza Pura", ("I am a Pure Race") written by Tony CroattoTony Croatto
Hermes Davide Fastino Croatto Martinis, better known as Tony Croatto was an Italian singer and composer best known for his interpretations of Puerto Rican folk music. He was also a television presenter.-Biography:Born in Attimis, a comune in the province of Udine, Italy...
and David Ortiz. This song became a number one hit both in Puerto Rico and the USA. She started wearing long, flowing robes and attended philosophy classes at the University of Puerto Rico. She traveled the world. She designed and promoted several concerts, "Traigo Un Pueblo En Mi Voz" and "En Las Manos Del Pueblo". However, the people began to have issues with Lucecita's new message of hope and respect for her people: the poor, the unaffected, the undeserved. She had geared away from the type of music the people wanted to hear: ballads of love and despair. Lucecita began to hit hard times. Work was less forthcoming. The same people who had compared her to France's Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
now turned their back on her. Lucecita was at a career dead end and she inevitably turned into depression, hopelessness, and solitude. It did not help matters that she was seen at many conventions where independence for Puerto Rico was at issue. She was labeled as such and that sealed her career's supposed demise. However, Lucecita had never pledged to any political party per se; she wanted her music to be heard by everyone. She became involved with much of the famous Puerto Rican poet Julia De Burgos
Julia de Burgos
Julia Constancia Burgos García is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico, and along with Gabriela Mistral, is considered as one of the greatest female poets of Latin America...
' work and wanted to set it to music. She was thus a bohemian living in Old San Juan in an apartment that she was able to lease while she still had the means. She traveled to New York and performed at Carnegie Hall in an attempt by producer/promoter Hal Kaye and Roberto Tirado to revive her musical career. Only half of the famous Carnegie Hall was sold even though Lucecita performed magnificently. She received a standing ovation when she sang "Carta A Un Artista", ("A Letter To An Artist") a number by Argentinian composer Alberto Cortez
Alberto Cortez
Alberto Cortez is an Argentine singer and songwriter. Cortez and his wife live in Madrid.Cortez was born in Rancul, La Pampa Province, Argentina, March 13, 1938. At the age of six entered in the elementary school and at the same time to the conservatory Alberto Williams. He begins to compose songs...
. Most of the songs in her "En Las Manos Del Pueblo" concert and recording were written by Mr. Cortez. In September 2008, Lucecita performed to a sold out concert at the Bellas Artes in Puerto Rico.
External links
- http://lucecitabenitez.com
- Online Discography
- http://lucecita.org
- http://web.archive.org/web/20091027003501/http://geocities.com/westhollywood/7415
Nota de Carmen González Huguet: "Carta a un artista" es una canción que Alberto Cortés, cantautor argentino, compuso en homenaje al artista chileno Antonio Prieto. Ver: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=8hOJb-EedQU
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Pop culture in Puerto RicoPop culture in Puerto RicoPop culture in Puerto Rico, it can be said, has been historically affected both by the political changes the island has gone through, and by the changes in popular culture around the world.-1950s:*Salsa music's popularity grows large....