Eva Garza (May 11, 1917 – November 1, 1966) was a Mexican-American singer and film actress who acquired international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s during the

Golden Age of Mexican cinema The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...

. She collaborated on live radio shows and films with some of the leading performers of her time, including Mexico's

Agustín Lara Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is recogn ...

. She was nicknamed "Sweetheart of the Americas".

Biography

Eva Garza was the third oldest child of seven children raised by Cenobia B. Ramírez and Procopio V. Garza. Her father was the owner of a local barber shop. Eva's first exposure to public performances of music took place at church functions, local parties and over the local radio station. Subsequently, she entered several amateur competitions in San Antonio and was awarded several prizes. By 1932 she embarked upon a series of performances on KABC radio which lasted for several years. She also performed in the popular radio show ''La Hoira Anahuac'' as well as in various vaudeville acts at the Nacional Theatre with Netty y Jesús and Don Sauve.Her early recordings of rhumbas and boleros with Bluebird Records also date from this time and include performances of: ''La Jaibera'', ''Calientito'', ''Cosquillas'', ''Cachita'' and ''Qué Me Importa'' in 1936. After touring as the voice of the fan dancer

Sally Rand Sally Rand (born Helen Gould Beck; April 3, 1904 – August 31, 1979) was an American burlesque dancer, vedette, and actress, famous for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck. ...

in New York in 1937, Garza returned to Texas in 1938 and formed her own group billed as "Eva Garza and Her Troupe". During a three-year period between 1939 and 1942 she toured throughout Central and South America. While performing on the radio in Juarez, Mexico she met her future husband Felipe Bojalil Gil of the ensemble El Charro Gil y Sus Caporales. The couple was married in 1939 in San Antonio and eventually raised three children. After settling in New York City, Eva and her husband Felipe "El Charro" Gil recorded the bolero ''Diez Años'' by Rafael Hernandez for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Performances on the

Columbia Broadcasting System CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

soon followed in 1941. Garza began to appear regularly at CBS and for

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

on the ''

Viva America Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * ...

'' program in collaboration with such leading performing artists as:

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

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Juan Arvizu Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices (known as Juan Arvizu; Santiago de Querétaro, May 22, 1900 - Mexico City, November 19, 1985), was an acclaimed lyric tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of the Latin American bolero and tango on the internati ...

Nestor Mesta Chayres Néstor Mesta Cháyres (aka Nestor Chaires, Ciudad Lerdo, February 26, 1908 - Mexico City, June 29, 1971) was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international concert ...

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and

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By 1945, her broadcasts on CBS's "La Cadena de las Americas" network were heard by audiences in twenty Latin American nations and by members of America's armed forces in Europe through the Armed Forces Radio Services Garza's performances on the program earned her the nickname "Sweetheart of the Americas". As the 1940s came to a close, Garza moved to Mexico City to initiate performances with Radio XEW while collaborating with such leading performers as:

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinalo ...

Pedro Vargas Pedro Vargas Mata (San Miguel de Allende, 29 April 1906 – Mexico City, 30 October 1989) was a Mexican tenor and actor, from the golden age of Mexican cinema, participating in more than 70 films. He was known as the "Nightingale of the Ameri ...

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and

Jorge Negrete Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno (; 30 November 1911 – 5 December 1953) was a Mexican singer and actor. Life and career Negrete was born in the city of Guanajuato and had two brothers and three sisters; his father was a Mexican Army Colonel who ...

. While in Mexico she appeared in over 20 films with such leading actors as

Toña la Negra Antonia del Carmen Peregrino Álvarez (2 November 1912 – 19 November 1982), known by her stage name Toña la Negra (Toña the Black Woman), was a Mexican singer and actress of partial Haitian ancestry, known for her interpretation of boleros and ...

(''Amor Vendido'', 1951),

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer, who also held Mexican citizenship since 1951. She began her career in the 1940s an ...

(Carcel de Mujeres, 1951) and Luis Arcaraz (''Acapulco'', 1952). During the 1950s Garza also received contracts to perform in nightclubs throughout Latin America in such countries as: Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador and Colombia and Mexico. During her visits to Cuba she appeared in such prominent cabarets as ''

Tropicana Tropicana may refer to: Companies *Tropicana Entertainment, a former casino company that owned several Tropicana-branded casinos *Tropicana Products, a Chicago-based food company known for orange juice Hotels and nightclubs *Tropicana Casino & Re ...

'' and Teatro Americano as well as on the popular television program ''Duelo de Pianos'' with

and

Consuelo Velázquez Consuelo Velázquez Torres (August 21, 1916 in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco – January 22, 2005, Mexico City), also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez, was a Mexican concert pianist and composer. She was the composer of famous Mexican ballads ...

. She also performed on Havana's Radio Cadena Suaritos with the Cuban pianist

Isolina Carrillo Isolina Carrillo (December 9, 1907 – February 21, 1996) was a Cuban composer, singer and pianist. She was a member of the vocal group Conjunto Siboney. At the age of eleven she made her musical debut replacing a pianist that called in sick in he ...

. While residing in Mexico, Garza recorded boleros written by such noted composers as:

, Gonzalo Curiél, and Joaquin Pardave for

Musart Records Discos Musart is a Mexican record label founded in 1948. It is headquartered in Mexico City and remains one of the country's biggest labels, focusing on Mexican music, as well as international releases licensed from various labels around the world. ...

and Seeco Records. Included among her most outstanding recordings from this time are: ''Sin Motivo'', ''Frio en el Alma'' and ''La Ultima Noche''. In 1965 Garza married the Argentine artist Abel Reynosa after divorcing her first husband in 1953. She joined Reynosa in Buenos Aires and was subsequently lured back to Mexico by Columbia Records to record a retrospective album of some of her greatest hits: ''Vuelve Eva Garza- Mexican Encore''. She subsequently resumed a concert tour of Arizona, New Mexico and Los Angeles California. Eva Garza recorded over 200 single recordings for such major record labels as

, Seeco Records and

over the course of her career. Her discography includes recordings of such popular boleros as: ''Celosa'', ''Cantando'' and ''Arrepentido''. Critical reviewers in

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Secon ...

took note of her warm, and expressive style of interpretation. She was also cited for a deep, warm, rich and persuasive interpretations and was the recipient of three María Grever Awards for Best Singer of the Year. Hailed as one of the ten best singers in Mexico, Eva Garza is remembered as a versatile vocalist who was equally comfortable singing romantic boleros, corridos, tropical music and contemporary songs with ease.

Death

During the course of a concert tour of the Southwest, Garza developed pneumonia and did not recover. She died at the age 49 in Tucson, Arizona. In accordance with her wishes, she was laid to rest in Mexico City.

Selected discography

Eva Garza recorded over 150 single titles including: * ''Arrpentido'' - Decca Records (Catalogue # 1041 8B) - Eva Garza sings this tango by Francisco Lomuto with orchestra (19??) * ''Beso Mortal'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 7046B) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Eva Garza and

Felipe Gil Felipe Gil, also known by his nickname El Charro was a Mexican singer and songwriter of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He was born in Misantla, Veracruz, in 1913, into a family of musicians and he studied the music of the area. He worked for a ...

with La Orquesta de Ray Montoya (19??) * ''Cachita'' - Bluebird Records (Catalogue # B-2947-A) - Eva Garza sings this rumba by Rafael Hernandez (19??) * ''Calientito'' - Bluebird Records (Calatogue # B-2911-B) - Eva Garza sings this rumba with orchestra (19??) * ''Cantando'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # EX-5189)- Eva Garza sings this bolero by M. Simone (19??) * ''Celosa'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # EPC-528-A-2)- Eva Garza sings this bolero by P. Rodriguez (19??) * ''Cosquillas'' - Bluebird Records (Catalogue # B-2947-B) - Eva Garza sings this rumba with orchestra (19??) * ''Diez Años'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # 6916-X) - Eva Garza sings this Bolero by Rafael Hernandez with

El Charro Gil Felipe Gil, also known by his nickname El Charro was a Mexican singer and songwriter of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He was born in Misantla, Veracruz, in 1913, into a family of musicians and he studied the music of the area. He worked for a ...

y Sus Caporales (19??) * ''Eso Si Eso No'' - Colummbia Records (Catalogue # 1613C) - Eva Garza sings this cornado by Charro Gil with El Charro Gil y Sus Caporales (19??) * ''Frio En El Alma'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 609A) - Eva Garza sings a bolero by Miguel Angel Valladares with Lazaro Quintero Orchestra (19??) * ''Inutil Es Fingir'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 658A) Eva Garza sings this bolero by Carlos Gomez with Roberto Ondina y La Orquesta Suaritos (19??) * ''La Jaibera'' - Bluebird Records (Catalogue # B-2911-A) - Eva Garza dings this rumba with orchestra (19??) * ''La Ultima Noche'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # 6214-X) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Bob Collazo with the Columbia Orchestra (19??) * ''Que Me Importa'' - Bluebird Records (Catalogue # B-2926-A) - Eva Garza sings this bolero with orchestra (19??) * ''Sabor De Engaño'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # 6205-X) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Mario Alvarez with Bill Gale and Orquesta de Salon Columbia (19??) * ''Sera Por Eso'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 609 B) Eva Garza sings this bolero by Consuelo Velazquez with the Lazaro Qunitero Orchestra (19??) * ''Sin Motivo'' - Columbia Records (Catalogue # 6207-X)- Eva Garza sings this bolero by Gabriel Ruiz with La Orquesta de Salon Columbia (19??) * ''Sombras'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 658B) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Agustín Lara with Roberto Ondina y La Orquesta Suaritos (19??) * ''Tiempo Perdido'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 7102 B) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Eduardo Lazo with La Orquesta de Juan Britto Tarraza (19??) * ''Usted'' - Seeco Records (Catalogue # 7102 A) - Eva Garza sings this bolero by Gabriel Ruiz with La Orquesta de Juan Brito Tarraza (19??)

Selected filmography

* ''Si Fuera una Cualquiera'' (1950) * ''

Women's Prison This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents.

'' (1951) * ''

Women Without Tomorrow ''Women Without Tomorrow'' (Spanish: ''Mujeres sin mañana'') is a 1951 Mexican drama film directed by Tito Davison and starring Leticia Palma, Manolo Fábregas and Carmen Montejo Carmen Montejo (born María Teresa Sánchez González; May 26, 1 ...

'' (1951) * '' Arrabalera'' (1951) * '' Love for Sale'' (1951) * ''

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

'' (1952) * ''

Paco the Elegant ''Paco the Elegant'' (Spanish:''Paco, el elegante'') is a 1952 Mexican crime film directed by Adolfo Fernández Bustamante and starring Antonio Badú, Emilia Guiú and Carlos Cores. It was produced by Fernando de Fuentes Fernando de Fuentes C ...

'' (1952) * '' Women Who Work'' (1953) * ''Bolero Inmortal'' (1958) * ''Pistolos de Oro'' (1959)''Pistolos de oro'' on imdb.org
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References

Bibliography

* Deborah R. Vargas. ''Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of la Onda''. University of Minnesota Press, 2012. * "Modern Spanglish: A Chat With Carrie Rodriguez," Texas Monthly, January 2016, https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/interview-carrie-rodriguez/

External links

*
''Eva Garza'' recordings on Archive.org

''Eva Garza'' music on worlcat.org

''Eva Garza'' Discography on fronter.library.ucla.edu
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garza, Eva 1917 births 1966 deaths Mexican film actresses 20th-century Mexican women singers Actresses from San Antonio Actresses from Mexico City 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Deaths from pneumonia in Arizona