Carmen Delia Dipiní (November 18, 1927 – August 4, 1998), was a Puerto Rican singer of
boleros
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 ...
. In 2002, Carmen Delia Dipiní was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Early years
Dipiní was born in
Naguabo, Puerto Rico
Naguabo (, ) is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the east coast of the island bordered by the Vieques Passage, north of Humacao; south of Río Grande and Ceiba; and east of Las Piedras. Naguabo is spread over 8 barrios and Na ...
to Justo Dipiní Castro and Concepción Piñero Medina. Dipiní often entertained her family and friends as a child with her singing. She attended the Eugenio Brac Elementary School where one of the teachers, Mrs. Brenes, realized that Dipiní was talented as a singer and encouraged the 7-year-old student to become a singer. In 1941, when she was 14 years old, Dipiní went with her parents to
San Juan with the intention of participating in a radio talent show. As a result, she would make her radio singing debut on the radio program of
Rafael Quiñones Vidal.
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Music career
In 1948, Dipiní, who had befriended fellow Puerto Rican singer Ruth Fernández
Ruth Fernández (23 May 1919 – 9 January 2012) was a Puerto Rican contralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" ''(National Commission for the Celebrat ...
, left for New York City at her friend's recommendation. While in New York, she participated and won the first place prize in a talent show held at the Triboro Theater. Part of the prize was a singing contract with Johnny Albino y El Trío San Juan and she would go on to record her first hit ''El Día que nací yo'' (''The Day I was Born'') with the trio.[Puerto Rico Popular Culture](_blank)
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While in New York she worked in various theaters and nightclubs. She received an offer from another recording company, Seeco Records, and recorded a tango
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
titled ''Besos de Fuego'' (''Kisses of Fire'') which earned her international acclaim. She later joined Johnny Rodríguez's band, for whom she sang and recorded the following songs: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 ...
and Mexico. Dipiní lived in Mexico for seven years and was contracted by both Columbia Records and RCA-Victor Records. One of her "hits" with RCA was ''Especialmente para Ti'' (''Especially for You''). Dipini recorded with the Cuban and Afro-Cuban group Sonora Matancera
La Sonora Matancera is a Cuban band that played Latin American urban popular dance music. Founded in 1924 and led for more than five decades by guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer Rogelio Martínez, musicologists consider it an icon of ...
in Havana, Cuba for a short time.
Later years
When she returned to Puerto Rico, she joined Tito Rodríguez
Pablo Rodríguez Lozada (January 4, 1923 – February 28, 1973), better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both m ...
and later recorded ''Somos el Prójimo'', the Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
version of ''We Are The World''. She also recorded a tribute to Sylvia Rexach
Sylvia Regina Rexach González (January 22, 1922 – October 20, 1961), was a Puerto Rican comedy scriptwriter, poet, singer and composer of boleros.
Early years
Rexach was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Her parents were Julio E. ...
with the quartet Los Hispanos. Among her last recordings were the songs ''Amor Perdido'' (''Lost Love'') and ''Congoja'' (''Anguish''). She had made over thirty albums in her lifetime.International Latin Music Hall of Fame
The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre.
In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...
.
See also
* List of Puerto Ricans
* Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico resulted in the 19th century from widespread economic and political changes in Europe that made life difficult for the peasant and agricultural classes in Corsica and other territories. The Second Industrial R ...
References
External links
Remembering Carmen Delia DipiníCarmen Delia Dipini on Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dipini, Carmen Delia
1927 births
1998 deaths
People from Naguabo, Puerto Rico
20th-century Puerto Rican women singers
Women in Latin music