Cuban singer-entertainer Juana Bacallao performs at the “One-Eyed Cat” cafe in Havana in 2010.
Javier Galeano/AP
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Javier Galeano/AP
Cuban singer-entertainer Juana Bacallao performs at the “One-Eyed Cat” cafe in Havana in 2010.
Javier Galeano/AP
Cuban cabaret sensation Juana Bacallao died Saturday in her hometown of Havana, based on an announcement on social media from Cuba’s Ministry of Tradition. She was 98 years outdated.
The famed, globe-trotting vocalist carried out alongside artists similar to Nat King Cole and Benny Moré. Her title grew to become synonymous with the glamorous Cuban nightclub scene of the 1940s and 1950s.
However her profession spanned nearly her total lifetime.
“She marked a milestone within the historical past of Cuban cabaret, from the 50s of the final century till just some years in the past,” mentioned the Ministry of Tradition’s assertion.
Identified for her husky voice, gaudy sequined attire, blonde wigs and risqué performances, Bacallao thrilled audiences at Tropicana and different legendary Havana nightspots. In keeping with a 2010 Denver Put up article about certainly one of Bacallao’s performances, she requested the group, ‘”Do we’ve got any virgins right here?’ earlier than suggesting that among the male patrons should pay further for staring at her so arduous.”
Bacallao was the artist’s essential stage title. She was also called Juana La Cubana. Her actual title was Amelia Martínez Salazar, based on the Ministry of Tradition.
Born in a working-class neighborhood in Havana in 1925, Bacallao was orphaned at 6 and attended Catholic college, earlier than she was mentioned to have been found as a young person whereas cleansing homes by bandleader Obdulio Morales.
“Proprietor of a really particular sense of Cuban and Creole humor, she took her artwork and wit to international locations similar to the US, France, Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Spain,” mentioned the assertion on Fb. “Her bodily departure represents a delicate loss for the Cuban music scene.”