Died On This Date (July 12, 2010) Olga Guillot / The Queen Of Bolero
themusicsover Olga Guillot
October 9, 1922 – July 12, 2010
Born in Cuba, Olga Guillot became a popular Bolero singer who was called La Reina de Bolero, or the Queen of Bolero. Discovered while singing in local clubs in 1954, Guillot was soon whisked off to New York City where she recorded her first album for the respected Decca label. Over the next forty-odd years, she released over 20 albums. By the early ’50s, Guillot had relocated to Mexico where she soon became popular thanks to her music and budding acting career. In 1958, she did her first European tour and had the good fortune to sing alongside the great Edith Piaf. In 1963, Guillot was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or (The Golden Palm) for being the best Bolero singer in Latin America. She became the first Latin singer to play Carnegie Hall in 1964. A critic of Fidel Castro, her music is banned in Cuba. Olga Guillot was 87 when she passed away on July 12, 2010.
What You Should Own
Herman Brood was a popular Dutch rock musician, TV host, and painter who was called by at least one critic, “the Netherlands’ greatest and only rock ‘n’ roll star.” He achieved his musical fame during the ’70s and ’80s and became equally revered for his art work later in life. After tooling around in a few different bands and spending some time in jail for drug dealing, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & the Wild Romance. The year was 1976, and Brood was quickly becoming famous – and equally infamous – for his sexually charged and drug fueled lyrics, as well as his candid and eyebrow-raising comments on those same topics in the press. Meanwhile his hard drug use was becoming legendary throughout the Netherlands. His then-girlfriend, Nina Hagen even released a song entitled “Herrmann Hiess Er” (“Herrmann Is High”) , reportedly about him. In 1979, Brood enjoyed a small bump when he toured the U.S. with the Cars, the Kinks, and Foreigner. During the ’80s and early ’90s, he recorded several albums, but soon began devoting most of his energy to visual arts. His dynamic and sometimes graffitti-inspired prints became very popular throughout Europe, while many of his murals found homes on public walls throughout Amsterdam. By the summer of 1991, Brood was apparently depressed over his inability to kick drugs and how their abuse had impared his health. On July 11, 2001, Herman Brood leaped to his death from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton. He was 56.
Walter Hawkins was a Grammy winning Gospel singer and ordained Bishop who, with the help of his brother, Edwin Hawkins and their Edwin Hawkins Singers, recorded one of Gospel’s earliest crossover hits, “Oh Happy Day.” His wife, Tramaine Hawkins is an equally respected Gospel performer as well. Hawkins went solo while forming his own church during the early ’70s. His Love Center Choir won numerous accolades and found significant success with their Love Alive series which have sold in excess of one million copies. 1990’s Love Alive IV sat at the top of the Billboard Gospel charts of an astonishing thirty-three weeks. It has been reported that Hawkins contributed in one form or another to nearly 120 Gospel charting records. Over the course of his career, he collaborated with the likes of Jeffrey Osborne, 