Angela Alvarezthe Cuban singer-songwriter who made history by winning the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2022 at the age of 94, died early on Friday, December 6, at 97 years. The news was confirmed by his grandson, the composer and producer Carlos José Álvarez, to Spanish Billboard.
The artist died peacefully in Baton RougeLouisiana, surrounded by her family, although the cause of her death was not revealed. death.
“I feel very lucky to have shared our grandmother with the world. She was a gift to me,” said the musicianwho produced Álvarez’s self-titled debut album, released in June 2021. “What we accomplished together was extraordinary. She taught how art can heal in times of adversity“he added.
The music was a constant in his life, since his childhood in Camaguey, Cubauntil her last stage, in which she became known for her talent and bravery. In November 2022, Álvarez declared Spanish Billboard that his greatest dream was “to leave this world knowing that my music will live on,” a legacy that will now endure.
The producer Emilio Estefan also yielded tribute to Álvarez: “She was a great example to life. Happy to have known her.”
Path
She was born in Cuba in 1927. At the nuns’ school where she studied, she began to learn to play the guitar. Later, he also learned to play the piano and sing, but his father and grandfather forbade him to play the role. music her job, considering it inappropriate for a woman.
He married and had four children. Her husband, who worked in the sugar industry, encouraged her to sing during their Trips together to different countries, such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
In 1962, fleeing the Cuban Revolutionsent his four children to USA through Operation Peter Pan organized by the US government. She followed her a few months later, without her husband (other sources indicate that it was a few years), and moved to Miami, without speaking English. There, he did various jobs, such as picking tomatoes or cleaning offices.
continued playing music for herself and composing songs about her life. In 2018, he gave his first public concert at the Avalon Theater from Hollywood, with Andy Garcia as master of ceremonies and accompanied, among others, by the musicians Ramón Stagnaro, Justo Almario, Danilo Lozano, Luis Conte, José Álvarez and Alberto Salas.
- His grandson, Carlos, also musicianhe proposed to record in a studio in Los Angeles. He disk Angela Alvarezwith 15 songs (of the fifty recorded with an orchestra, which included members of the Buena Vista Social Club and José Álvarez, one of his sons), was released in 2021. That same year, a documentary about his life, Miss Angeladirected by Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton, and also participated in the film Father of the Bride, directed by Gary Alazraki.
- At 95 years old, he won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist, along with Silvana Estradabecoming the oldest person to receive this award. During In his award speech, he emphasized: “It’s never too late.”
