Rocío Dúrcal

María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈθi.o ˈðuɾkal]), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of Reina de las Rancheras ("Queen of Rancheras").[1]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de las Heras and the second or maternal family name is Ortiz.
Rocío Dúrcal
Studio album cover of Si Te Pudiera Mentir
Born
María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz

(1944-10-04)4 October 1944
Madrid, Spain
Died25 March 2006(2006-03-25) (aged 61)
Torrelodones, Spain
Resting placeBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. after 1970)​
Children3
FamilyShaila Dúrcal (daughter)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
Years active1959–2006
Labels
Associated acts
Signature

In 2005 Dúrcal received a Latin Grammy Award for musical excellence, a prize that is awarded by the Governing Board of the Recording Latin Academy to artists who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance during their careers.[2]

Career

Dúrcal began her artistic career by participating in various radio song festivals and competitions, secretly supported by her paternal grandfather, who always believed in her talent and became her first fan.[3] In 1959, with the approval of her parents, she participated in the television program Primer Aplauso, broadcast by Televisión Española. The theme that she chose for the contest was the traditional song "La sombra vendo". Luis Sanz, a Madrid manager who watched the show, was impressed by her talent and personality. Sanz contacted the program for the name and the address of the young contestant.[4]

Acting

Her first film was Canción de Juventud (1961) directed by Luis Lucia. The plot of the film portrayed a teenager with her own personality. The movie scored huge box office and critics success. This success was repeated in other Spanish-speaking countries where the movie was shown. Immediately Dúrcal became the star of Rocío de La Mancha. Following this, she got her first record deal with transnational Phonogram (now Universal Music). The songs the artist played in both films served to make her first album, Las películas de Rocío Dúrcal (1962).

In Dúrcal's third film, Tengo 17 años (1964), she put aside her role of "child star". That same year, she appeared in her first theater play, Un domingo en Nueva York, in which she was revealed as a great theatrical actress. In 1965 she filmed Más bonita que ninguna; the band Los Brincos wrote some songs for the movie. In 1966, she shared the spotlight with Enrique Guzmán in the film Acompáñame. She began to perform duets with such singers as Jaime Morey and Amalia de Isaura. Then she co-starred in the film Amor en el Aire (1967) with the then young Argentine singer-songwriter Palito Ortega. In 1968 she filmed Cristina Guzmán, the first of her films that was aimed at an audience over 18.[5]

Her last film was with Bárbara Rey in Me Siento Extraña in 1977.

Singing

In 1970 Dúrcal married Filipino-born musician Antonio Morales (known professionally as Júnior), who would manage her singing career. In 1972, Antonio Morales began a series of television shows in Spain and Latin America singing with his wife as a duet. Their first child, Spanish actress Carmen Morales de las Heras, was born in December 1970. After the birth of their second child, Antonio Morales de las Heras, in April 1974, Morales decided to give up his career to devote time to their children. Dúrcal meanwhile continued her film and singing career. In 1979 she had her third child, Shaila Morales de las Heras, who took up a singing career under the stage name of Shaila Dúrcal and is also a successful singer.[6]

In 1977, Dúrcal signed a contract with Ariola Eurodisc (with singer-songwriter Camilo Sesto supporting her in her projects) dedicating herself to the musical career. That year, while in Mexico, she met the Mexican singer-songwriter Alberto Aguilera Valadez, better known as Juan Gabriel, who decided to record a whole album of rancheras performed by Rocío Dúrcal entitled Rocío Dúrcal canta a Juan Gabriel. Without further advertising, the LP received high levels of sales, so Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel considered the possibility of a new recording together. They ended up doing 5 LPs, marking the revival of Rocío Dúrcal as a singer. The final collaboration between Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel emerged in 10 albums. Dúrcal's album named Canta A Juan Gabriel Volumen 6 (1984) is among the top ten best-selling albums in the history of Mexico. For this album Rocío Dúrcal received her first Grammy Award nomination.

The collaboration of Dúrcal with Juan Gabriel was interrupted by disagreements between the artists and because of problems of Juan Gabriel with his record label, so Dúrcal continued to record albums with other songwriters such as Marco Antonio Solís and Rafael Pérez Botija (with whom under his leadership in 1981 she recorded the album of ballads Confidencias). In 1988 she recorded the album Como Tu Mujer with producer Marco Antonio Solis.

In 1990, she recorded her first album on CD format entitled Si Te Pudiera Mentir. In 1991, Durcal offered a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, recorded in a double disc El Concierto... En Vivo. Between 1992 and 1993 she recorded the album Desaires, produced by the Mexican singer and songwriter Joan Sebastián. In this album she reprises ranchera.[7]

In 1995 she launched her production Hay Amores Y Amores, with songs written and produced by the Argentine Roberto Livi. For this album she is nominated again to the Grammy Awards in the category "Best Latin Pop Album". In 1997 the double album Juntos Otra Vez brought Rocío Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel together again for the last time. That album was made by an engagement with the record company and not by the desire of both artists to continue to cooperate.

In 1998, under the direction of her discoverer Luis Sanz, Dúrcal starred in the Spanish TV Show Los negocios de mamá, broadcast by Televisión Española. In 2000, she celebrated 40 years in the industry. In that year she returned to ranchera music with the album Caricias, under the production of songwriter and producer Bebu Silvetti. In 2001 Rocío Dúrcal recorded Entre Tangos Y Mariachi, again produced by Bebu Silvetti, an album that includes 10 of the most famous Argentine tango arrangements interpreted with ranchero/bolero style like her previous album. In the summer of 2001 Dúrcal made a successful tour in Spain, after 13 years of no shows in Spain.

After a year and a half absence, she returned to the stage on 19 September 2002 with a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico, which was recorded in a double album that was released on CD and then on DVD on 22 October 2002, En Concierto... Inolvidable. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. In 2003, the artist received another Latin Grammy Award nomination for her album Caramelito, produced by Kike Santander. In May 2004 she returned to Spain to record what would be her last album Alma Ranchera, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award, but did not win.[8]

Illness and death
Rocío Dúrcal's crypt at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City

In 2001, after recording her album Entre Tangos y Mariachi, Dúrcal was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Dúrcal canceled her tours while subjected to medical treatments, and came back to her tours in 2002. In 2003, from Spain, she collaborated with the Mexican singer Julio Preciado for a duet in the song "Si nos dejan" included in his album Que me siga la tambora.[9]

Rocío Dúrcal died on 25 March 2006 at the age of 61 from uterine cancer at her home in Torrelodones, Madrid.[10] She was cremated and a portion of her ashes were scattered in Spain while the remainder of her ashes were deposited into a crypt at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City,[11][12] the same place where years later a portion of the ashes from her husband Antonio Morales who died in 2014, were also deposited next to her.[13]

Select discography

Albums

Singles
Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Latin US Latin Pop
1986 "La Guirnalda"[14] 1 - Siempre
"Quédate Conmigo Esta Noche"[15] 4 -
1987 "Siempre" 10 -
"Infidelidad" 22 -
"Obligado" - -
1988 "Como Tu Mujer"[16] 1 - Como Tu Mujer
1989 "¿Qué Esperabas De Mí?"[17] 4 -
"El Amor Más Bonito"[18] 9 -
"Extrañándote"[19] 8 -
1990 "Ya Te Olvidé" 12 -
"Te Amo" 5 - Si Te Pudiera Mentir
1991 "La Balanza"[20] 10 -
"Falso" 33 -
1994 "Desaires"[21] 4 - Desaires
"Mi Credo"[22] 14 -
1995 "Vestida De Blanco" 3 6 Hay Amores y Amores
"Como Han Pasado Los Años"[22] 17 4
"Qué De Mí" - 7
1997 "El Destino"(with Juan Gabriel) 1 6 Juntos Otra Vez
"La Incertidumbre" 11 -
1999 "Para Toda La Vida"[23] 22 10 Para Toda la Vida
2000 "Porque Te Quiero" 26 19 Caricias
2001 "Infiel"[24] 4 5
"Sombras...¡Nada Más!" 16 9 Entre Tangos y Mariachis

Filmography
Year Title Role Director
1961Canción de JuventudRocío LuzónLuis Lucia
1962Rocío de La ManchaRocío / IsabelLuis Lucia
1963La chica del trébolRocíoSergio Grieco
1964Tengo 17 añosRocío / NataliaJosé María Forqué
1965Más bonita que ningunaLuisa / LuisitoLuis César Amadori
1966AcompáñameMercedesLuis César Amadori
1966Good Morning, Little CountessMaríaLuis César Amadori
1967Love in FlightClaraLuis César Amadori
1968Cristina GuzmánCristina / MaraLuis César Amadori
1969Las LeandrasPatriciaEugenio Martín
1971The Rebellious NoviceGloriaLuis Lucia
1972MarianelaMarianelaAngelino Fons
1974Díselo con floresÚrsulaPierre Grimblat
1977Me siento extrañaLauraEnrique Martí Maqueda

Television
Year Show Role Director TV Channel
1977Mujeres insólitas
(La sierpe del Nilo)		CleopatraCayetano Luca de TenaTelevisión Española
1997Los negocios de mamáAnaLuis SanzTelevisión Española

Theatre
Year Title Author
1964Un domingo en Nueva YorkAdolfo Marsillach
1974La muchacha sin retornoSantiago Moncada
1977Contacto peculiarAdolfo Marsillach

References
  1. Ñáñez, Paola (25 March 2017). "Perfil | Rocío Dúrcal: La eterna reina de las rancheras y las baladas". Globovisión.
  2. "Grammy a la Excelencia Musical". LatinGrammy.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012.
  3. Víctor Núnez Jaime (25 March 2016). "Rocío Dúrcal, la española más mexicana". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. "Fallece el productor Luis Sanz Santiago descubridor de Rocío Dúrcal". La Razón (in Spanish). 26 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. "Cristina Guzmán (1968)". IMDb. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. Evan C., Gutierrez. "Shaila Dúrcal". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  7. "Desaires". iTunes. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  8. "Rocio Durcal". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. "Que Me Siga la Tambora". iTunes. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. "Fallece Rocío Durcal". El País (in Spanish). 25 March 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. Manuel M. Cascante (4 May 2006). "Las cenizas de Rocío Dúrcal ya descansan en Guadalupe". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  12. "Llegarán el martes cenizas de Rocío Dúrcal". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 26 April 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  13. José L Bernabé, Tronchoni (15 April 2014). "Antonio "Junior" Morales". Find a Grave. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. Overall Popularity Top. "Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  15. Overall Popularity Top. "Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  16. "Como Tu Mujer - Rocío Dúrcal". iTunes. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  17. "Que Esperabas de Mi". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  18. Overall Popularity Top. "Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  19. Overall Popularity Top. "Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  20. "La Balanza", billboard.com; accessed 6 March 2015.
  21. "Desaires", billboard.com; accessed 6 March 2015.
  22. "Mi Credo", billboard.com; accessed 6 March 2015.
  23. "Para Toda La Vida", billboard.com; accessed 6 March 2015.
  24. "Infiel", billboard.com; accessed 6 March 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.