Ruth Fernandez
| Ruth Fernández | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ruth Noemí Fernández Cortada |
| Also known as | "La Negra de Ponce" (literally, "The Black Woman from Ponce", a term of endearment in Puerto Rican Spanish) |
| Born |
May 23, 1919 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 9, 2012 (aged 92) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Bolero |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, politician |
| Years active | 1935–2000s |
| Notable instruments | |
| Voice | |
| Ruth Fernández | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Puerto Rico Senate from the At-large district |
|
|
In office 1973–1981 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Popular Democratic Party |
 Ruth Fernández's "Borincana" on YouTube. |
Ruth Fernández (23 May 1919 – 9 January 2012) was a Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" (National Commission for the Celebration of the Fifth Centennial), she is said to be one of three artists whose contributions have helped unite Latin America. The other two artists named were Libertad Lamarque from Argentina and Pedro Vargas from Mexico.
Fernández (birth name: Ruth Noemí Fernández Cortada ) was born in the Bélgica community of barrio Cuarto in Ponce, Puerto Rico to Santiago Fernández and Rosa María Cortada. Fernández's mother died when she was six years old and she was raised along with her four other siblings by her grandmother. She received her primary and secondary education in her hometown. As a child she learned to play the piano and was very active in her school and community's activities. In high school she organized her own musical group. She became a professional singer at the age of 14 when she would go to the local radio stations, WPRP and WPAB, and sing for 50 cents a day, in 1935. Fernandez was heard by Mingo, a bandleader of a locally popular band and was hired into his band in 1940. She then performed in nightclubs, dances and casinos.
Fernández started to gain popularity and in 1941, at age 22, she was signed by Columbia Records with whom she recorded her first hit song, "Cuando Vuelvas" (When you return) a theme written by Myrta Silva. Her first appearance in New York City was in The Latin Theater of New York. There the Master of Ceremonies, Hector del Villar, introduced her as "El Alma de Puerto Rico hecha cancion" ("The Soul of Puerto Rico Turned Song"). That moniker was to stay with her forever.
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