Graciela Naranjo (December 25, 1916 – April 11, 2001) was a
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n singer and actress. A radio, cinema and television pioneer in her homeland, she made her professional debut as a
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
singer in 1931. From the thirties onward her fame as a singer grew, she appeared in films and had her own
TV show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
in an incredibly long career that extended from 1931 through 2000. She is the mother of
Alberto Naranjo
Alberto Naranjo ah-rahn'-ho(September 14, 1941 – January 27, 2020) was a Venezuelan musician. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland. Largely self-taught, Naranjo embarked on a simila ...
, a Venezuelan musician.
Career
Graciela Naranjo was born in
Maiquetía, Vargas. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
in a church choral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at
Broadcasting Caracas when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
voice as her innovative
behind-the-beat phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments.
From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including
Ary Barroso
Ary de Resende Barroso (1903–1964), better known as Ary Barroso, was a Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator, and talent-show host on radio and TV. He was one of Brazil's most successful songwriters in the first half of the 20th centur ...
,
Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...
,
Tito Guízar
Federico Arturo Guízar Tolentino (; April 8, 1908 – December 24, 1999), known professionally as Tito Guízar, was a Mexican singer and actor. Along with Dolores del Río, Ramón Novarro and Lupe Vélez, as well as José Mojica, Guízar was ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
, to become a notorious celebrity while her audience greatly increased. She also made films in Venezuela next to
Amador Bendayán
Amador Jacobo Bendayán Bendayán en-dah-IAN(November 11, 1920 – August 8, 1989) was a Venezuelan actor and entertainer.
Biography
The son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Bendayán was born in Villa de Cura, Aragua, and was raised and educ ...
and
Alfredo Sadel
Manuel Alfredo Sánchez Luna, better known as Alfredo Sadel (February 22, 1930 – June 28, 1989) was a popular Venezuelan singer and actor.
Early life
Manuel Alfredo Sánchez Luna was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to Manuel Sánchez Benítez and ...
, among other important artists, appearing in ''Romance aragüeño'' (1939), ''Misión atómica'' (1947), and ''A La Habana me voy'' (1949). She also was backed up by the famed
Orquesta Anacaona in a couple of songs that were recorded in Venezuela in 1943.
With the establishment of television in Venezuela in the early 1950s, Naranjo hosted her own TV show at the now-defunct
Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
from 1954 to 1955. At this time, she received contract offers from
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, but chose to stick around Caracas and raised a family instead of pursuing an international artistic career. She put off potential success until finally becoming a major TV attraction while in her 40s, retiring in 1961 in the
Renny Ottolina
Renaldo José Ottolina Pinto (December 11, 1928 – March 16, 1978) was a Venezuelan producer and entertainer. Born in Valencia, Carabobo, he performed professionally under the name Renny Ottolina.
Early life
His mother Ana Mercedes Pinto died wh ...
TV show. After that, she performed on a periodic basis on radio, universities and nostalgia shows until the early 1980s.
Graciela Naranjo was survived by her son Alberto Naranjo and her daughter Angela Mercedes Pratt; her grandchildren Grecia Garrett, Jorge Naranjo and Luis Naranjo, and great granddaughter Kai Naranjo.
Discography
As soloist
*''
Los Cantos del Corazón'' (1995)
*''
El Legado'' (1998)
As guest
*''Cosas del Alma'' - Delia (1993)
*''Tu bolero soy yo'' - Various interpreters (1998)
*''
Dulce y Picante'' - Alberto Naranjo (1998)
*''Cada piano con su tema'' - Ignacio Izcaray (2000)
See also
*
List of famous or notable Venezuelans
External links
La Señora Bolero(
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
)
Venezuela Analítica(Spanish)
Biblioteca Babab(Spanish)
Agustín Lara – Sus más distinguidos intérpretes(Spanish)
La historia del bolero latinoamericano(Spanish)
(Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naranjo, Graciela
1916 births
2001 deaths
Singers from Caracas
People from Vargas (state)
20th-century Venezuelan women singers
20th-century Venezuelan actresses