Chola Luna (stage name Alcira Carmen Luna; 12 February 1919 - 2 April 2015) was an Argentine tango singer, who flourished during the 1930s through 1950s. From 1955, she was persecuted for her political ideas during the self-appointed dictatorship of the

Revolución Libertadora ''Revolución Libertadora'' (; ''Liberating Revolution'') was the coup d'état that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on 16 September 1955. Background President Perón was first elected in 1946. In 1949, a ...

which ousted in a bloody Coup d'état the democratic elected government of Juan D. Peron (1946-1955). Many performers had to stop their profession, including Luna, and others, persecuted and blacklisted for their political beliefs.

Biography

Alcira Carmen Nuñez was born on February 12, 1919, in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

into a working-class family, the daughter of Goyo Luna and Maria de Luna. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

, where she grew up and went to primary school. She sang since childhood, and in 1935, won the contest ''Puloil''. She performed on Radio Belgrano, Argentina's largest radio broadcaster at the time, which allowed her to be hired as a singer on the station. In 1942, she starred in the film ''Gran pensión La Alegría'', with

Julio Irigoyen Julio Irigoyen (1 July 1894 – 29 August 1967 Buenos Aires) was an Argentine film director. Irigoyen began directing in 1923. His first film was De Nuestras Pampas. He directed films such as the 1942 film '' Academia El Tango Argentino''. ...

and performed at the Teatro Nacional. In 1944, she joined the Francisco Canaro orchestra as a singer, singing a duet with Carlos Roldán, with whom she recorded two songs 1944. In 1946, she joined the singing cast of ''La Historia del Sainete'', one of the most successful shows at the time. In 1945, she joined the

Francisco Lomuto Francisco Juan Lomuto (November 24, 1893 – December 23, 1950) was an Argentine Tango pianist, leader and composer who occasionally went by the pseudonym:, "Pancho Laguna". Lomuto was born in the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires ...

orchestra, performing with

Alberto Rivera Pizarro Alberto Rivera Pizarro (born 16 February 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central midfielder. He started out at Real Madrid, but played almost exclusively for its reserve teams during his spell. In a professional career tha ...

during a successful tour of Europe. With the election of

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...

as president of Argentina in 1946, she identified herself with the ideas of

Peronism Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...

, participating in activities for the benefit of children and the elderly organized by the

Eva Perón Foundation The Eva Perón Foundation was a charitable foundation begun by Eva Perón, a prominent Argentine political leader, when she was the First Lady and Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina. It operated from 1948 to 1955. Inspiration and Be ...

and the Cultural Center of Artists. She sang with the orchestras of Aníbal Troilo, Julio De Caro, Horacio Salgán as well as the orchestra musicians' union led by

Mariano Mores Mariano Alberto Martínez (18 February 1918 13 April 2016), known professionally as Mariano Mores, was an Argentine tango composer and pianist. Biography Mariano Martínez was born in the San Telmo section of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1918. ...

. In 1955, the constitutional presidency

was overthrown by the self-appointed dictatorship of the

Many performers had to stop their profession, including Luna, and others, persecuted and blacklisted for their political beliefs. After making some recordings with the orchestras of Francisco Trópoli and

Miguel Caló Miguel Caló (October 28, 1907 – May 24, 1972) was a famous tango bandoneonist, composer, and the leader of the ''Orchestra Miguel Caló''. He was born in Balvanera, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Early years Born in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of ...

, she was exiled in Uruguay, in 1957. In Montevideo, she performed at the Cafe El Ateneo, recorded with the orchestra of Luis Caruso and acted with

Alba Solís Alba Solís (born Ángela Herminia Lamberti; 18 October 1927 – 3 February 2016) was an Argentine singer, actress and vedette. Her style was characterized by singing tangos in a dramatic manner. She was born in the Floresta area of Buenos Aire ...

, who was also persecuted in Argentina. In the 1960s, she returned to Argentina and sang a duet with Julia Vidal, a repertoire of tango and folklore songs. She also served as secretary of the Argentine comic, Pepe Marrone.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Chola 20th-century Argentine women singers Musicians from Buenos Aires 1919 births 2015 deaths