MARIO VIDES PRESENTA A LUCESITA BENITEZ, UNA DE LAS PRIMERAS INTERPRETES EN GANAR FESTIVALES MUNDIALES, CON LA CANCION GENESIS DISFRUTEMOSLA!!!!

[MARIO ROLANDO VIDES ALVARADO]

Lucecita Benítez, Mario Vides siempre nos cuenta algo impresionante sobre los artistas que presenta, algo en Lucesita que fue unico, es que ha sido la unica interprete que en pleno festival, se equivoca y le pide con solo la gracia que ella tiene y la acmpaña siempre, a la orquesta que si puede repetir, y que les parece, al final sin decir nada los jueces, gana el primisimo lugar, de uno de los Primeros y Grandes Festivales en
Europa. Felicidades linda te lo mereces todo!!!! tu admirador Mario Vides.

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Lucecita
Born	Luz Esther Benítez July 22, 1942 (1942-07-22) (age 69) Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Other names	La Voz Nacional de Puerto Rico
Occupation	singer

Luz Esther Benítez (born July 22, 1942), better known in the music world as Lucecita, is a Puerto Rican singer.

 

 

Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Influences 3 1970's 4 Proud of Her Heritage 5 External links 6 See also

[edit] Biography

Lucecita was a member of what is historically known in Puerto Rico as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger, alongside Lissette and Chucho Avellanet, among others. She was a participant of Telemundo channel 2's El Club del Clan (The Clan's Club) television show, and she occasionally would show up at the Show de Las 12 (12 O' Clock Show) to sing too. In 1964, she had her first major hit, with the song "Un Lugar Para los Dos" ("A Place For Both of Us"). This was a cover song of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You", but sung in Spanish by Lucecita.

That began a series of hits for Lucecita, and at the same time, it began a rivalry between her and fellow New Waver, Peruvian born, Cuban-descended Puerto Rican resident Lissette, also a musical legend.

Benítez's most important career step came in 1969, when she won the Festival de la Cancion Latina (Festival of the Latin Song) in Mexico. She participated with two songs, "Genesis" by G.V. Lloveras and "Energia De Mis Manos", by M. de Jesus. "Genesis" received the highest points (223) in the festival and Lucecita also won best dressed performer. Pedro Rivera Toledo's arrangement won as best, although the orchestra was conducted by Jose S. Marroquin. The festival was held at the Teatro Ferrocarrilero in Mexico. Lucecita became an instant hit in Mexico and throughout the Latino music world. She then became ill with asthma and needed to be cared for by then President Lyndon Johnson's personal physician. Lucecita's attire was designed by Puerto Rican dressmaker Martin, who used silk fabric imported from the East. Her most impressive thought the evening she won the festival was when several medical students from Puerto Rico studying in Mexico waved their country's flag after she was announced as winner. It was such that she had to restart the opening strains to "Genesis" as she became choked up with tears. She was received in Puerto Rico's International Airport after the festival ended with such importance and joy that schools had to be closed that morning while her caravan rode through the streets of San Juan. Her most happy and ardent fans were the have-nots who congregated at the Luis Llorens Torres housing projects who applauded Lucecita as her caravan drove by. This important event in her career led to her performing with Sammy Davis Jr. and to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. RCA signed her immediately, and her career's star rose considerably, touring all over Latin America and in Spain. She also performed for many years at the Club Caribe at Caribe Hilton Hotel hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Lucecita still does world tours and performs live frequently. She has her own recording company, Grabaciones Lobo (Wolf Records). In 1994, she participated in Banco Popular's dedicatory to Jose Feliciano. At the same time, she also performed at Carnegie Hall, where she recorded a live album to honor the memory of salsa singer Ismael Rivera. Recently, Puerto Rico's government celebrated her 1969 triumph of "Genesis" with a gala celebration. The town of Caguas dedicated a museum of memorabilia in her honor. Her old friend and fan Roberto Tirado, pictured in the above photo with Lucecita taken at the NYC ACE Awards in 2000, has contributed to this museum with many items personally owned by Lucecita which he saved during her time at the height of her fame. Recently, in 2007, Lucecita was involved in a traffic accident where no one was injured. This happened in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after she had left a dinner party. She was cleared of any wrongdoing. She travels frequently to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she has a huge fan following after her participation in a soap opera singing songs from her excellent album, Exitos Callejeros. Lucecita's biography, co-written by Dr. Angel Opio and Lucecita, will be out soon with many exciting revelations by Lucecita. Dr. Opio has interviewed fans, photographers, producers, etc., in order to make this book a best seller and an authentic review and historical perspective of Lucecita's musical career.

[edit] Influences

Many people and fans have stated that artists such as Olga Guillot, Libertad Lamarque, etc. have been influences on Lucecita's musical career. However, Lucecita has credited her mother, Mrs. Luz Maria Rosado Benitez, as the major, if not sole, influence on her music. Lucecita has stated numerous times in the media such as the press, radio and television that she credits her mother for her musical interest and influence. Specifically, she states that since her father, Mr. Juan Benitez, was a merchant marine and was always away from home most of the time, her mother would sing throughout the house while she did her chores. Many of the songs were tangos and boleros. Lucecita picked up on this and also sang while she dusted, ironed for her brothers, etc. One day her mother heard her from the another room and was startled to hear that Lucecita's voice was almost like her own. This was brought on by her brother Miguel, who said to his mother that he wanted her to sing when he brought a certain girlfriend to the house. Mrs. Benitez told Miguel that it was not her singing, that it was Lucecita! From then on, Mrs. Benitez insisted that her older brother Enrique would take Lucecita to talent shows throughout San Juan. This was done mostly when Mr. Benitez was away on leave as he did not want his daughter to become involved in show business; he wanted her to become a lawyer, teacher, or some other profession.

[edit] 1970's

Lucecita's career was at her height during this time. Here, producer/host Ed Sullivan was in Puerto Rico on vacation and caught Lucecita's Caribe Hilton show and invited her to his CBS TV program, The Ed Sullivan Show, seen on Sundays at 8PM nationwide. Sullivan was so impressed by her unique voice that he made sure she closed his show that December 1970. She sang "Todas Las Mananas" ("Every Morning") accompanied by conga player Candido. Despite being accompanied by her manager Paquito Cordero, her personal assistants and make-up artist, previously mentioned New York fan club president Roberto Tirado, she was naturally extremely nervous at this nationwide exposure. Bandleader Nelson Riddle, Frank Sinatra's conductor, was also Sullivan's house band leader. Riddle made sure that Lucecita was at ease; there was only one dress rehearsal before the live show. Sullivan allowed Lucecita to do her act in jeans and t-shirt, much to the other performer's chagrin. Lucecita's closing act was the beginning of her international musical induction.

[edit] Proud of Her Heritage

Lucecita transformed her image into a rebellious and angry genius. Gone was her straightened hair, her light-skinned make-up and former appeasing to the masses. She now confronted the press with reserve and disdain: they had castigated her by writing terrible things about her when she let her natural "afro" hair style grow. It was now her turn to say what she felt in her heart. She recorded an album, with no title, just a drawing in color by a well known artist. The main song in the LP was "Soy de Una Raza Pura", ("I am a Pure Race") written by Tony Croatto and David Ortiz. This song became a number one hit both in Puerto Rico and the USA. She started wearing long, flowing robes and attended philosophy classes at the University of Puerto Rico. She traveled the world. She designed and promoted several concerts, "Traigo Un Pueblo En Mi Voz" and "En Las Manos Del Pueblo". However, the people began to have issues with Lucecita's new message of hope and respect for her people: the poor, the unaffected, the undeserved. She had geared away from the type of music the people wanted to hear: ballads of love and despair. Lucecita began to hit hard times. Work was less forthcoming. The same people who had compared her to France's Edith Piaf now turned their back on her. Lucecita was at a career dead end and she inevitably turned into depression, hopelessness, and solitude. It did not help matters that she was seen at many conventions where independence for Puerto Rico was at issue. She was labeled as such and that sealed her career's supposed demise. However, Lucecita had never pledged to any political party per se; she wanted her music to be heard by everyone. She became involved with much of the famous Puerto Rican poet Julia De Burgos' work and wanted to set it to music. She was thus a bohemian living in Old San Juan in an apartment that she was able to lease while she still had the means. She traveled to New York and performed at Carnegie Hall in an attempt by producer/promoter Hal Kaye and Roberto Tirado to revive her musical career. Only half of the famous Carnegie Hall was sold even though Lucecita performed magnificently. She received a standing ovation when she sang "Carta A Un Artista", ("A Letter To An Artist") a number by Argentinian composer Alberto Cortez. Most of the songs in her "En Las Manos Del Pueblo" concert and recording were written by Mr. Cortez. In September 2008, Lucecita performed to a sold out concert at the Bellas Artes in Puerto Rico.

[edit] External links

• http://lucecitabenitez.com
• Online Discography
• http://lucecita.org
• http://web.archive.org/web/20091027003501/http://geocities.com/west...^{[dead link]}

Nota de Carmen González Huguet: "Carta a un artista" es una canción que Alberto Cortés, cantautor argentino, compuso en homenaje al artista chileno Antonio Prieto. Ver: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=8hOJb-EedQU

[edit] See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Pop culture in Puerto Rico

 

Lucecita Benítez

Lucecita Benítez Foto Edwin David Cordero Cantante Fecha de nacimiento: 21 de julio de 1942 Lugar: Bayamón, Puerto Rico Con una de las carreras más exitosas que ha conocido la industria artística puertorriqueña, Lucecita Benítez ha sabido evolucionar de "Reina de la Juventud", en la década del 60, hasta convertirse en una de las voces nacionales más importantes de Puerto Rico. Su carrera se inicia en la década del 60, siendo una de las protagonistas más importantes del movimiento de la nueva ola puertorriqueña. Su debut en las listas de éxitos detuvo el empuje de Los Beatles en Puerto Rico al controlar la intérprete boricua la posición cimera con el tema "Un lugar para los dos" en septiembre de 1964. Del brazo de Alfred D. Herger, Lucecita se convirtió en ídolo de multitudes. Sus primeros éxitos "Vete con ella", "Dile", "Club del Clan", "Dime dolor", "Un beso picolíssimo" y "Yo te perdono" dominaron ampliamente las ondas radiales a mediados de la década del 60. En medio de todo su apogeo, el inusitado romance de su compañero de labores, el cantante Chucho Avellanet, con la intérprete juvenil Lissette, creo un mar de reacciones que desembocaron en la rivalidad más candente que ha conocido la cultura popular puertorriqueña entre cantantes femeninas. Su resonante triunfo con "Génesis" en el Primer Festival de la Canción Latina, en marzo de 1969, le dio pasaporte a la internacionalización. A raíz de ese éxito, Lucecita fue reclutada por la multinacional RCA y sus actuaciones fueron aclamadas en diversos países de América y Europa. Pero en su momento de mayor apogeo, la artista decidió hacer un alto en su carrera. En medio de la turbulenta década de los 70, Lucecita Benítez decidió incursionar en la temática político-social a través del movimiento de la nueva trova. A raíz de su proceso de concienciación, sus conciertos "Traigo un pueblo en mi voz" y "En las manos del pueblo" le merecieron elogios de la crítica especializada. El primero la convirtió en la primera cantante de música popular en presentarse en el Coliseo Roberto Clemente en 1974. El segundo fue, un año más tarde, el primer concierto de música popular transmitido íntegramente a través de la radio en la noche de su debut. Por años Lucecita estuvo alejada del mundo del disco. Pero en 1980 su regreso al estudio de grabación le produjo un éxito resonante con su mosaico de boleros "Romántica Luz". De ahí en adelante la suerte ya estaba echada. En 1984 fundó su sello Grabaciones Lobo. Y desde entonces ha lanzado al mercado más de una decena de producciones de amplio reconocimiento en los medios. Interpretando diversos géneros musicales, su "Criollo Folklore" fue un éxito dentro del género de tierra adentro. "Nostalgia" la llevó a ganarse a los adeptos de los boleros y temas tropicales de antaño. "Gaviota al aire" le dio amplia difusión en el género de la balada contemporánea. Y "Éxitos callejeros" la llevó a convertirse en toda una sensación en la Argentina, donde ganó un Disco de Oro con su versión del tema "Fruta verde". En 1994 la artista lanzó al mercado el compacto "Horizontes de soledad", en el cual presentó el tema de su propia inspiración, "Cuando la vida nos marca". Ese mismo año fue una de las estrellas participantes en el concierto masivo "El encuentro" en el cual revivió su etapa nuevaolera con Chucho Avellanet y Lissette. En el campo de la actuación, Lucecita ha incursionado tanto en televisión como en teatro. En la primera, interpretó el personaje de "La Loba" en la telenovela "Vida" que produjo WAPA Televisión. En teatro fue muy aplaudida su caracterización del personaje "Miss Reinhold" en el musical "La verdadera historia de Pedro Navaja". Igualmente trabajó en el musical estadounidense "South Pacific". Durante los últimos años, Lucecita se ha mantenido activa ofreciendo al pueblo sus aplaudidos recitales y compartiendo tarima con figuras del primer orden. Su concierto "Amigos" con Chucho Avellanet, "Una canción por América sin fronteras" con Mercedes Sosa y el "Homenaje a Julia de Burgos y a Luis Palés Matos" con Alberto Carrión, permanecen como algunos de los más aplaudidos en su carrera. Igualmente son memorables sus actuaciones con Rubén Blades, Justino Díaz, Pablo Elvira, Pablo Milanés y María Martha Serra Lima. Y entre todas queda su aclamada participación, en 1987, en la presentación de Plácido Domingo en Puerto Rico, donde compartió el escenario con Danny Rivera y Nydia Caro en el Centro de Bellas Artes. Con la llegada del nuevo siglo Lucecita logró uno de sus grandes sueños al protagonizar como estrella principal un musical en el Centro de Bellas Artes de San Juan. �Murderous Instincts�, producido por Manny Fox, le permitió actuar cantando totalmente en inglés con música de Alberto Carrión. Javier Santiago