Nelida Roca
Encyclopedia
Nélida Roca was one of the first showbusiness diva
s of Argentina
.
Born Nélida Mercedes Musso in Buenos Aires
, her friends and colleagues fondly called her La Roca ("The Rock"). From childhood
, she sought to become a famous artist, but had to confront her parents' strong opposition to the idea. Her mother was from the Galicia region of Spain
, and her father was an Italian
man from Genoa
.
Nélida married Julio Rivera Roca, a jazz piano player, in 1949, and began her performing career as the lead vocalist in his orchestra. She was discovered in 1950, during one such performance, by Luis César Amadori
, owner of the Maipó Theatre, and first starred on the professional stage in Amadori's The Maipó Theatre is Telling its Stories. The show's commercial success allowed Amadori to triple the price of the seats, and she became a legend in her genre during the 1950s. Crtics and her public came to know her as the Venus of Corrientes Avenue
(the Buenos Aires theatre district).
She remarried in 1963 with vocalist Aldo Perricone (known by his stage name, Ricky Giuliano), though the marriage ended in 1969. In her last show, in the winter of 1974, she shared top credits with the then up-and-coming star, Susana Giménez
. The show, The Golden Revue, dealt with cultural changes in Argentina over the years.
She died of a heart attack in December 1999, at age 70.
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
s of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Born Nélida Mercedes Musso in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, her friends and colleagues fondly called her La Roca ("The Rock"). From childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
, she sought to become a famous artist, but had to confront her parents' strong opposition to the idea. Her mother was from the Galicia region of 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...
, and her father was an Italian
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
man from Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
Nélida married Julio Rivera Roca, a jazz piano player, in 1949, and began her performing career as the lead vocalist in his orchestra. She was discovered in 1950, during one such performance, by Luis César Amadori
Luis César Amadori
Luis César Amadori was an Italian - Argentine film director and screenwriter and one of the most influential directors in the Cinema of Argentina of the classic era...
, owner of the Maipó Theatre, and first starred on the professional stage in Amadori's The Maipó Theatre is Telling its Stories. The show's commercial success allowed Amadori to triple the price of the seats, and she became a legend in her genre during the 1950s. Crtics and her public came to know her as the Venus of Corrientes Avenue
Corrientes Avenue
Avenida Corrientes is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity...
(the Buenos Aires theatre district).
She remarried in 1963 with vocalist Aldo Perricone (known by his stage name, Ricky Giuliano), though the marriage ended in 1969. In her last show, in the winter of 1974, she shared top credits with the then up-and-coming star, Susana Giménez
Susana Giménez
Susana Giménez, née María Susana Giménez Aubert is an Argentine actress, ex-vedette and television host....
. The show, The Golden Revue, dealt with cultural changes in Argentina over the years.
She died of a heart attack in December 1999, at age 70.