Died On This Date (April 7, 2010) Graciela Perez-Grillo / The First Lady Of Latin Jazz
themusicsover Graciela Perez-Grillo
August 23, 1915 – April 7, 2010
Known as the “First Lady of Latin Jazz,” Graciela Perez-Grillo was pioneering Afro-Cuban jazz singer who got her start in New York City during the 1940s. Perez-Grillo was born in Cuba to a musical family that also included fellow Latin jazz great, Machito. Perez-Grillo won several Grammys and even lead her own big band in 1942, making her the first woman in history to do so. She was best known for songs like “This is Graciela,” and “That’s the Way I Am.” Graciela Perez-Grillo was 94 when she passed away on April 7, 2010.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.
Mari Trini was a Spanish singer-songwriter who had a string of hits during the ’70s and ’80s. In all, she recorded twenty-five albums during her career, her most popular being Escuchame, which featured “Yo No Soy Esa,” a favorite among her Spanish language fans. Trini passed away in a hospital at the age of 61. Cause of death is not known.
Selena Quintanilla was a Texas-born Tejano star who was quickly becoming a worldwide superstar when her life was tragically cut short. Known simply as Selena, she began building a following within the Spanish-speaking community in and around the Houston area in the mid ’80s and by 1987, she was at the top of her field when she won Best Female Vocalist at the Tejano Music Awards which she would continue to rule over the next several years. Signed to EMI Records in the States, Selena was soon being groomed to cross over much the same way Gloria Estefan had before her. By the early ’90s, Selena was approaching superstar status, designing her own clothing line, opening boutiques in Texas and appearing in Spanish novellas and alongside Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway and Marlon Brando in Don Juan DeMarco. In 1994, her Amor Prohibido was nominated for a Grammy, and she began work on an English language album. And by 1995, she was drawing upwards of 65,000 to her concerts in Texas. Around this time, her family discovered that Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club and manager of one of her clothing stores was embezzling from the company. After being fired, Saldivar agreed to meet Selena at her hotel in Corpus Christi to return some financial paperwork. Instead, Saldivar shot Selena in the back as she was exiting the room. She died later that day.
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