Myrta Silva
| Myrta Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1927 Arecibo, Puerto Rico |
| Died | December 2, 1987 (aged 60) Arecibo, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Boleros |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer and television producer |
 You may listen to Awilda Pedroza's interpretation of Silvas "Qué sabes tú?" on YouTube. |
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and to Luciano Quiñones piano interpretation here
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Myrta Silva (September 11, 1927 – December 2, 1987) was a Puerto Rican singer, composer and television producer who was known affectionately as "La Gorda De Oro".
Silva was born in the city of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Her father died when she was six years old and she was raised by her mother, who was her inspiration. Silva and her fans referred to her mother as "Mama Yeya". In 1937, Silva made her first public presentation at the Oliver Theater in Arecibo. In 1939, Silva and her mother moved to New York, where she started a career in radio, theater and musical plays.
Silva was working in a cabaret when she was discovered and offered a 10-year contract by RCA. In the late 1930s, she met the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández, who convinced her to join his Cuarteto Victoria. Myrta traveled with the group all over Latin-America. Some time later, she also sang for another composer Pedro Flores in his Sexteto Flores, where she was joined by Daniel Santos and Pedro Ortiz Davila (aka "Davilita").
In 1941, Silva composed her first song, "Cuando Vuelvas" ("When You Return"), recorded by Ruth Fernández. In 1942, she composed "En Mi Soledad" ("In My Solitude"), recorded by Daniel Santos, which became a hit in Latin America and in the Latin communities in the United States. In 1944, she wrote "Asi es la Vida" ("That's Life") and "Facil de Recordar" ("Easy to Remember") while she was performing in Havana, Cuba.
Silva had become an international singing star and was known as "The Queen of the Guaracha" by her fans in Latin America. From 1949 to 1950, she was the lead singer in the legendary Cuban guaracha group, La Sonora Matancera, at the same time continuing to compose. She received a good deal of recognition for her groups' performances throughout Latin America. In Argentina, she was named the "best-selling artist" in that country. In 1950, she was proclaimed by the Cuban government "The Most Popular Artist". When she decided to leave the group she was replaced by Celia Cruz, a young school teacher turned singer who went on to become known as the "Queen of Salsa".
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Wikipedia