Enrique Guzmán

Enrique Guzmán (born 1 February 1943) is a Venezuelan singer. He is one of the pioneers of Rock & Roll in Mexico. He, along with César Costa, Angélica María, Johnny Laboriel and Alberto Vasquez, among others, were the pioneers of Rock & Roll in Mexico. He is also the father of Mexican singer Alejandra Guzmán by his former wife, actress and politician Silvia Pinal.

Enrique Guzmán was born in Venezuela to Mexican parents. They moved back to Mexico when Enrique was 12. He studied medicine at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México although he did not complete his studies.

Guzmán has been a rock star in Mexico throughout the last half of the 20th century, known primarily for his translation of 1950s rock standards, such as "Jailhouse Rock", for Spanish-speaking listeners.^[2] In 1958 he joined "Los Teen Tops", along with the Martínez brothers and piano player, Sergio Martel. In 1959 they debuted in the US on CBS radio, and they released their famous version of "La Plaga" (Good Golly Miss Molly). He also wrote several hits for himself "Pensaba en tí", "La Ronchita", and for other Latin stars.

He also appeared in films, such as Canta Mi Corazón in 1965. His hits include Spanish covers of "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", "Rolly Polly", "Bonnie Moronie" as well as the original "Dame Felicidad" ("Give Me Joy"). During the mid-1960s Guzmán formed a motion picture company and produced some films in Ecuador. In the late 1960s, Guzman and his wife, Silvia Pinal, starred in a television show called Silvia y Enrique. He has continued recording, including with his daughter Alejandra Guzmán, throughout the 1990s and 2000s. As with his ex-wife and his daughter, he has his handprints embedded onto the Paseo de las Luminarias; he was inducted in 1983 for his work in the recording industry.

Family life

His first wife was Mexican actress Silvia Pinal. Singer Alejandra Guzmán and musician Luis Enrique Guzmán are their children. He is currently married to Rosalba Welter Portes Gil (Linda Christian's niece^[3] and daughter of painter Rosalba Portes Gil, in turn daughter of Mexican ex-president Emilio Portes Gil^[4]), their children being Daniela and Enrique Guzmán Welter. Daniela has participated in theater and musicals.^[5]

References