Puchi Balseiro
Puchi Balseiro | |
---|---|
Puchi Balseiro | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Aurea Mercedes Balseiro |
Born | November 1, 1926 |
Origin | Santurce, Puerto Rico |
Died | January 11, 2007 80) | (aged
Genres | Bolero |
Years active | 1950—2006 |
Puchi Balseiro, (Aurea Mercedes Balseiro), November 1, 1926 – January 11, 2007 born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, was a "feeling" composer.
Early years
Puchi Balseiro, was born in a district of San Juan, called Santurce, and comes from a dynasty of great musicians and composers of different genres. Her late grandfather was the distinguished Puerto Rican waltz composer: Rafael Balseiro Dávila, also known as: The King of Waltz. Also, Balseiro's, father was a prominent Puerto Rican composer of danzas, and boleros: Ramón Balseiro Ramos. She was the first woman in the family to follow their steps in the music, yet in different types of music and genres: Bolero & Pop.
Songwriter
She was a natural composer and guitarist. She described her guitar as her best friend, as she used it constantly to compose her songs. Puchi's best known compositions were: "En La Soledad", (In Solitude) and "Tu y mi Canción" (You and my Song). "En la Soledad", was a hit song in the 1970s in the voice of legendary Puerto Rican singer: Tito Rodríguez, although there were previous versions sung by other singers such as: Chucho Avellanet, Julio Angel, and Flor de Loto, among others. In the 1990s, Gilberto Santa Rosa, recorded and had a hit with this song, and with the help of the digital technology, he performed a duet with the original voice of late Tito Rodríguez. "Tu y mi Canción" was a hit song in the 1950s, in the voices of the Puerto Rican vocal quartet: "Los Hispanos"; this song was also recorded in an instrumental version by the: "Dimartino/Osland Jazz Orquestra", in 2004.
Other talents
She was also a singer, producer, script writer and host of various radio & television shows. In 1970, Puchi, originated, produced, and directed the: "Festivales del Filin", (The Feeling Festivals). They were concert events that were presented in different theaters and cruise ships on the island. Many singers of those times, were regulars in these spectacles because of their unusual style of interpretation such as, Lucy Fabery, Renee Barrios, Lydia Sosa, and Flor de Loto, among others.
Television
From 1993 to 1994, she produced and hosted her own television show, broadcast by WIPR-TV, titled: Usted y mi Mundo (You and My World). The set was a re-creation of a beautiful Chalet, she owned. It was a very intimate musical show.
Death
On January 14, 2012, she died, and the director of the Puerto Rican Culture Institute, Dr. José Luis Vega, stated: "...Puchi Balseiro's incalculabe cultural legacy, is part of the history of Puerto Rican and Latin American music, and it will serve as a model and good example for future generations of composers...".
See also
- List of female composers
- List of composers by nationality
- List of singer-songwriters
- List of Puerto Rican songwriters
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Gilberto Santa Rosa
External links
- http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/portada/coms/balseiro07.htm
- http://www.prpop.org/biografias/p_bios/puchi_balseiro.shtml
- http://www.prpop.org/noticias/ene07/puchi_balseiro_ene26.shtml
- http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/editorial/libros/mar_05/libro_puchibalseiro.htm
- http://www.vocero.com/noticias.asp?n=85786&s=Escenario