José Refugio "Cuco" Sánchez Saldaña (3 May 1921 – 5 October 2000) was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. Sánchez was one of Mexico's most popular singers and recorded most of his singles and studio albums for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. He is also one of Mexico's most famous and prolific songwriters. His songs include "Anillo de compromiso", "Anoche estuve llorando", "Por qué peca esa mujer", "Fallaste, corazón", "La cama de piedra", "Siempre hace frío", "Arrieros somos", "No soy monedita de oro", "Del cielo cayó una rosa", "Cariño santo", "Nuestro gran amor", "Grítenme, piedras del campo", and "¡Qué manera de perder!". He also acted in films and television series.

Life and career

Sánchez was born in

Altamira Altamira may refer to: People *Altamira (surname) Places * Cave of Altamira, a cave in Cantabria, Spain famous for its paintings and carving *Altamira, Pará, a city in the Brazilian state of Pará * Altamira, Huila, a town and municipality in ...

, a port city on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, to José Refugio Sánchez and Felipa Saldaña Cabello. He began writing verses in his early years and later learned how to play the guitar. In 1937, at age 15, he wrote his first hit song, "Mi chata", which was recorded by the duet Las Serranitas. In the same year he began singing on the XEW radio station, where he eventually had his own program. Because of his young age and overnight success as a songwriter, he came to be known as ''El Benjamín de los Compositores'' (literally "The

Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thi ...

of Songwriters", or "The Youngest of Songwriters"). Some of his early songs were "¡Qué rechulo es querer!", "Óigame, compadre", and "Yo también soy mexicano". His songs were performed, recorded, and made famous by himself and various recording artists, such as Pedro Infante, Miguel Aceves Mejía, La Panchita, Amalia Mendoza, Verónica Loyo, Flor Silvestre,

Antonio Aguilar José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Márquez Barraza (17 May 191919 June 2007) was a Mexican singer, actor, songwriter, equestrian, film producer, and screenwriter with a dominating career in music. He recorded over 150 albums, which sold 25 mill ...

, Dora María,

Lucha Villa Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano (born November 30, 1936), more commonly known by her stage name Lucha Villa, is a Mexican singer and actress. Early life Born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano was given her pseudonym "Lucha Villa" by telev ...

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than four decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has p ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

, and Chavela Vargas. Sánchez was married to María Teresa de la Vega. He died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

on 5 October 2000 in

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 o ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Engagement Ring An engagement ring, also known as a betrothal ring, is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. A ring is presented as an engagement gift by a partner to their prospective spouse wh ...

'' (1951) * '' Pablo and Carolina'' (1957) * ''

It Happened in Mexico It or IT may refer to: * It (pronoun), in English * Information technology Arts and media Film and television * ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow * '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film * ''It!'' (1967 ...

'' (1958) * '' The Soldiers of Pancho Villa'' (1959)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Cuco 1921 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Mexican male actors Male actors from Tamaulipas Mexican male film actors Mexican male television actors Mexican male actors Male songwriters Mexican songwriters People from Tamaulipas Singers from Tamaulipas 20th-century Mexican male singers

Life and career

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links