Mercedes Sosa

Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa
	Portrait by Annemarie Heinrich, 1960s
Born	Haydée Mercedes Sosa; 9 July 1935; San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
Died	4 October 2009 (aged 74); Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1950–2009
	Musical career
Genres	Folk; nueva canción;
Instruments	Vocals

Haydée Mercedes "La Negra" Sosa (Latin American Spanish: [meɾˈseðes ˈsosa]; 9 July 1935^[1] – 4 October 2009) was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout Latin America and many countries outside the region. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of El nuevo cancionero. She gave voice to songs written by many Latin American songwriters. Her music made people hail her as the "voice of the voiceless ones".^[2] She was often called "the conscience of Latin America".^[3]

Sosa performed in venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Théâtre Mogador in Paris, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, as well as sold-out shows in New York's Carnegie Hall and the Roman Colosseum during her final decade of life. Her career spanned four decades and she was the recipient of six Latin Grammy awards (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011), including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and two posthumous Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2009 and 2011. She won the Premio Gardel in 2000, the main musical award in Argentina. She served as an ambassador for UNICEF.

Life

Sosa was born on 9 July 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucumán, of mestizo ancestry. She was of French, Spanish and Diaguita descent.^[4] Her parents, a day laborer and a washerwoman,^[5] were Peronists, although they never registered in the party, and she started her career as a singer for the Peronist Party in Tucuman under the name Gladys Osorio.^[6] In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months.^[7] She recorded her first album, La Voz de la Zafra, in 1959.^[7] A performance at the 1965 Cosquín National Folklore Festival—where she was introduced and brought to the stage while sitting in the audience by fellow folk singer Jorge Cafrune—^[8] brought her to the attention of the Argentine public.^[7]

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 military junta of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. Sosa faced death threats against both her and her family, but refused for many years to leave the country. At a concert in La Plata in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, along with all those attending the concert.^[9] Their release came about through international intervention.^[7] Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.^[7]^[9]

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 Martha Argerich, Andrea Bocelli, David Broza, Franco Battiato, Jaime Roos, Joan Baez, Francis Cabrel, Gal Costa, Luz Casal, Lila Downs, Lucio Dalla, Maria Farantouri, Lucecita Benitez, Nilda Fernández, Charly Garcia, León Gieco, Gian Marco, Nana Mouskouri, Pablo Milanés, Holly Near, Milton Nascimento, Pata Negra, Fito Páez, Franco De Vita, Lourdes Pérez, Luciano Pavarotti, Silvio Rodríguez, Ismael Serrano, Shakira, Sting, Caetano Veloso,^[4] Julieta Venegas, Gustavo Cerati and Konstantin Wecker^[9]

Sosa participated in a 1999 production of Ariel Ramírez's Misa Criolla.^[15] Her song Balderrama is featured in the 2008 movie Che, starring Benicio del Toro as the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.^[16]

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 endocrine and respiratory problems in later years, the 74-year-old Sosa was hospitalized in Buenos Aires on 18 September 2009.^[23] She died from multiple organ failure on 4 October 2009, at 5:15 am.^[10] She is survived by one son, Fabián Matus, born of her first marriage.^[7]^[24] He said: "She lived her 74 years to the fullest. She had done practically everything she wanted, she didn't have any type of barrier or any type of fear that limited her".^[24] The hospital expressed its sympathies to her relatives.^[25] Her website featured the following: "Her undisputed talent, her honesty and her profound convictions leave a great legacy to future generations".^[26]

Her body was placed on display at the National Congress building in Buenos Aires for the public to pay their respects, and President Fernández de Kirchner ordered three days of national mourning.^[24]^[27] Thousands had queued by the end of the day.^[26]^[28]

Sosa's obituary in The Daily Telegraph said she was "an unrivalled interpreter of works by her compatriot, the Argentine Atahualpa Yupanqui, and Chile's Violeta Parra".^[7] Helen Popper of Reuters reported her death by saying she "fought South America's dictators with her voice and became a giant of contemporary Latin American music".^[28] Sosa received three Latin Grammy nominations for her album, in 2009 . She went on to win Best Folk Album about a month after her death.^[4]^[9]

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 Label: RCA
1965	Canciones Con Fundamento Label: El Grillo
1966	Hermano Label: Philips
1966	Yo No Canto Por Cantar Label: Philips
1967	Para Cantarle A Mi Gente Label: Philips
1968	Con Sabor A Mercedes Sosa Label: Philips
1969	Mujeres Argentinas Label: Philips
1970	El Grito De La Tierra Label: Philips
1970	Navidad Con Mercedes Sosa Label: Philips
1971	Homenaje a Violeta Parra Label: Philips
1972	Hasta La Victoria Label: Philips
1972	Cantata Sudamericana Label: Philips
1973	Traigo Un Pueblo En Mi Voz Label: Philips
1975	A Que Florezca Mi Pueblo Label: Philips
1976	En Dirección Del Viento Label: Philips
1977	Mercedes Sosa Interpreta A Atahualpa Yupanqui Label: Philips
1979	Serenata Para La Tierra De Uno Label: Philips
1981	A Quien Doy / Cuando Me Acuerdo de Mi País Label: Philips
1982	Como Un Pájaro Libre Label: Philips
1983	Mercedes Sosa Label: Philips
1984	¿Será Posible El Sur? Label: Philips
1985	Vengo A Ofrecer Mi Corazón Label: Philips
1986	Mercedes Sosa '86 Label: Philips
1987	Mercedes Sosa '87 Label: Philips
1993	Sino Label: Philips/Polygram
1994	Gestos De Amor Label: Polydor
1996	Escondido En Mi País Label: Polydor
1997	Alta Fidelidad (w/Charly García) Label: Mercury
1998	Al Despertar Label: Mercury
1999	Misa Criolla Label: Mercury
2005	Corazón Libre Label: Edge
2009	Cantora 1 (w/various artists) Label: RCA
2009	Cantora 2 (w/various artists) Label: RCA
2011	Censurada Label: Philips
2015	Lucerito Label: RCA

EPs


Year	EP details
1975	Niño De Mañana Label: Philips

Live albums


Year	Album details
1973	Si Se Calla El Cantor (with Gloria Martin) Label: Philips
1980	Gravado Ao Vivo No Brasil Label: Philips
1982	Mercedes Sosa en Argentina Label: Phonogram/Philips
1985	Corazón Americano (with Milton Nascimento & León Gieco) Label: Philips
1989	Live in Europe Label: Tropical Music/Polygram Argentina
1991	De Mí Label: Philips
2002	Acústico En Vivo Label: Sony Music Argentina
2003	Argentina Quiere Cantar (with Víctor Heredia & León Gieco) Label: Odeon/EMI
2010	Deja La Vida Volar (En Gira) Label: RCA
2014	Angel Label: Universal Music

Compilation albums


Year	Album details
1975	Disco De Oro Label: Philips
1983	Recital Label: Philips
1988	Amigos Míos Label: Philips
1993	30 Años Label: Polygram Argentina
1995	Oro Label: Polygram
1997	The Best Of Mercedes Sosa Label: Mercury
2013	Siempre En Ti Label: Universal Music

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)

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.
^ The presentation by Jorge Cafrune and the song Mercedes Sosa sang on 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.
^ Balderrama by Mercedes Sosa on 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

[birth-1] Mercedes Sosa at BrainyHistory.com

[tmc-2] "Singer Mercedes Sosa: The voice of the 'voiceless ones' outlasts South American dictatorships".

[3] 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.

[Legendary_folk_singer_Mercedes_Sosa_dies_at_74-4] ^ ^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.

[5] 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.

[6] Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America. Dir. Rodrigo H. Villa. First Run Features, 2013. Web.

[Mercedes_Sosa:_Obituary-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Mercedes Sosa: Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[test-8] The presentation by Jorge Cafrune and the song Mercedes Sosa sang on YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2010.

[Latin_artist_Mercedes_Sosa_dies-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies". BBC. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[ap-10] Associated Press^{[dead link]}

[11] Interview with Mercedes Sosa Archived 16 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Magazin Berliner Zeitung, 25 October 2003. (in German)

[12] Mercedes Sosa in concert Archived 4 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[13] 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.

[14] Meyer, Bill (7 October 2009). "A U.S. musician pays tribute to Mercedes Sosa". People's World. Retrieved 5 December 2023.

[15] "In Profile: Mercedes Sosa". soundsandcolours.com. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2018.

[16] Balderrama by Mercedes Sosa on YouTube – a tribute to Che Guevara

[17] "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2000)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[18] "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2003)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[19] "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2006)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[20] "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2009)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[21] "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2011)". Latin Grammys (in Spanish). The Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[22] "Premios Konex 1995: Música Popular". Fundación Konex (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2021.

[23] ""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.

[Argentine_singer_Mercedes_Sosa,_'voice_of_Latin_America,'_dies_at_74-24] 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_74-25] "Argentine folk legend Mercedes Sosa dead at 74". Bangkok Post. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[Argentine_folk_icon_Sosa_dies_at_74-26] "Argentine folk icon Sosa dies at 74". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[27] "Continúa la procesión en el Congreso para despedir a Mercedes Sosa".

[Argentine_singer_Mercedes_Sosa_dies_at_74-28] 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.

[29] "Celebrating Mercedes Sosa". Doodles Archive, Google. 31 January 2019.

[30] "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

Mercedes Sosa

Life

Awards

Death

Tributes

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Live albums

Compilation albums

Filmography

Further reading

References

External links

Read other articles:

Landesliga Bayern-Nordost

2016年美國總統選舉

Francis Cooley

المديرية العامة للأمن العام

إكتابا

Військово-музичне управління Збройних сил України

對習近平的負面稱呼

مدينة زايد

تبديل دائري

Jamboree Ward

Carbaryl

Pale of Settlement

جائحة

Loi de séparation des Églises et de l'État

Europa occidentale

2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Women's short race

تعمية بالإبدال

Dole pri Polici

Articles of association

Goosebumps (1995 TV series)