José Refugio "Cuco" Sánchez Saldaña
(3 May 1921
– 5 October 2000)
was a
Mexican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor.
Sánchez was one of Mexico's most popular singers and recorded most of his singles and studio albums for
. 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, a port city on the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, 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 ( ''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 younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twe ...
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,
Dora María,
Lucha Villa,
Vikki Carr,
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music.
Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
,
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
, and
Chavela Vargas.
Sánchez was married to María Teresa de la Vega. He died of
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), 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 fa ...
on 5 October 2000 in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
.
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 ...
'' (1951)
* ''
The Minister's Daughter'' (1952)
* ''
Pablo and Carolina'' (1957)
* ''
It Happened in Mexico'' (1958)
* ''
The Soldiers of Pancho Villa'' (1959)
See also
*
Ranchera
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
Mexican male songwriters
People from Tamaulipas
Singers from Tamaulipas
20th-century Mexican male singers