María de Luz Flores Aceves (23 May 1906 – 25 June 1944), known by her stage name Lucha Reyes, was a Mexican singer and actress. Born in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadal ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...
, she was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and has been called the "Queen of
Ranchera
Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...
" in the history.
Early life
Reyes, the daughter of Miguel Ángel Flores and Victoria Aceves, lost her father when she was still small. She took the surname Reyes from her mother's second husband, who took care of her until she was a teenager. In her early singing career, Soon after, she moved with her family to
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley ...
, where they lived in a modest house in
Colonia Morelos. Because of the family's financial problems, she never finished primary school. Later she joined the church choir at Iglesia de Carmen.
Her career began at the age of 13, when she performed in a tent in the Plaza San Sebastián near her house in the Federal District, alternating with comedians like Amelia Wilhelmy, José Limón, and the Acevedo Brothers.
Career
Reyes traveled to the United States to study voice, and in 1920 went on tour to several states, where she became an icon among the local Hispanics. She teamed up with Nancy Torres, and decided to stay in Los Angeles. It was during this tour that she met the journalist Gabriel Navarro, and they were married shortly after. Reyes suffered a miscarriage, lost the child, and they divorced. In 1924, she returned to Mexico.
Reyes would eventually decide to launch a solo career, and she became popular with Mexican radio listeners, while keeping a busy theater schedule. In 1927, she decided to try to conquer Europe, and she joined Juan N. Torreblanca on a tour of that continent. The tour, however, had to be cancelled when it reached
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
. It is not publicly known how the tour members were stranded in (Germany); what is known, however, is that a popular piano player who travelled with them had to play one night at an infamous local bar for her to be able to afford an air ticket back to Mexico. One positive aspect about this tour was that Reyes was able to record her first record, one of the first records to introduce Mexican music to European audiences. Reyes was not a
ranchera
Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...
singer during this period of her career, she was rather a
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...
. Reyes had taken light clothing with her for her European tour; this, combined with the cold weathers of Europe when compared to Mexico, caused her to get sick and, eventually, to lose her voice. Her voice ailment was the cause of a voice change, and, upon returning, she started singing "rancheras". One of her first songs in the ranchera genre, "
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadal ...
", became a classic that is nowadays considered by many to be Mexico's second national anthem.
In 1928, Reyes launched a career as a solo artist, and a year later began her best years as an artist, achieving successes with songs like "La Tequilera", "¡Ay Jalisco, no te rajes!", "El corrido de Chihuahua", "El herradero", "La Panchita", "Traigo un amor", "Juan Colorado", "El castigador", "Rayando el sol", "Caminito de Contreras", and more. In 1930, the entrepreneur Frank Founce contracted with her to perform several concerts on the stage of the
Million Dollar Theater
The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's '' The Silent Man''. It's the northernmost of the collec ...
in Los Angeles.
Reyes also appeared in films. She played supporting roles in ''Con los dorados de Villa'' (1939) and ''El Zorro de Jalisco'' (1941). Her last film appearances were musical guest roles in ''¡Ay Jalisco... no te rajes!'' (1941) and ''
Flor silvestre'' (1943).
Personal life and death
Reyes married three times. In 1934, she married her second husband, producer Félix Martín Cervantes. At the time of her death, she was married to Antonio Vega Medina, a pilot.
Like many of her contemporary stars, such as
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 f ...
,
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 ...
,
José Alfredo Jiménez
José Alfredo Jiménez Sandoval (; 19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973) was a Mexican singer-songwriter of rancheras, whose songs are considered the basis of modern Mexican music.
Biography
Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato ...
and
Javier Solís, she had a short life. She died on 25 June 1944 of an "acute intoxication" caused by an "unknown substance", which was believed to be
barbiturate
Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as w ...
s.
Legacy
She has a statue in
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...
as she visited the city many times during her career. The statue is located in
Mariachi Plaza in the east Los Angeles area of the city, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Lucha
1906 births
1944 suicides
Ranchera singers
Mexican sopranos
Singers from Guadalajara, Jalisco
Drug-related suicides in Mexico
20th-century Mexican actresses
20th-century Mexican women singers
Mexican expatriates in Germany
1944 deaths