Graciela Naranjo
| Graciela Naranjo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 25, 1916 Maiquetía, Venezuela |
| Died | April 11, 2001 (aged 84) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Occupation | Singer and actress |
Graciela Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] (December 25, 1916 – April 11, 2001) was a Venezuelan singer and actress. A radio, cinema and television pioneer in her homeland, she made her professional debut as a bolero singer in 1931. From the thirties onward her fame as a singer grew, she appeared in films and had her own TV show in an incredibly long career that extended from 1931 through 2000. She is the mother of Alberto Naranjo, a well-respected Venezuelan musician.
Graciela Naranjo was born in Maiquetía, Vargas. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to Caracas to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing Christmas music in a church coral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at Broadcasting Caracas when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm contralto voice as her innovative behind-the-beat phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments. She often really did live the words she sang, particularly in later years.
From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including Ary Barroso, Carlos Gardel, Tito Guízar, Agustín Lara and Pedro Vargas, to become a notorious celebrity while her audience greatly increased. She also made films in Venezuela next to Amador Bendayán and Alfredo Sadel, among other important artists, appearing in Romance aragüeño (1939), Misión atómica (1947), and A La Habana me voy (1949). She also was backed-up by the famed Orquesta Anacaona in a couple of songs which were recorded in Venezuela in 1943.
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