María Elvira Gallegos Ríos (November 16, 1913 – January 13, 1987) was a Mexican singer and actress. One of the most notable performers of

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 rec ...

's songs, Ríos was the first Mexican singer who achieved international success through radio, records, nightclub engagements, tours, and films. She was well known in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, among other countries. Some of her greatest hits are " Noche de ronda", " Flores negras", "

Perfidia "Perfidia" (Spanish for "wikt:perfidy, perfidy", meaning ''faithlessness'', ''treachery'' or ''betrayal'') is a 1939 Spanish-language song written by Mexican composer and arranger Alberto Domínguez (composer), Alberto Domínguez (1906–1975 ...

", "Desesperadamente", and "Ausencia".

Birth and family

Ríos was born on November 16, 1913, in La Lagunilla, a neighborhood of central

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 ...

. She was the firstborn child of José María Gallegos Villalobos and María Guadalupe Ríos Rodríguez. She had a younger brother, José Gallegos Ríos (d. 1993), and a younger sister, Soledad Gallegos Ríos (d. 1981).

Career

According to one source, Ríos was discovered by Agustín Lara when the songwriter heard her singing in a nightclub in Mexico City. After hearing the great imitation she was able to make of him (with her deep

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

voice), he invited her to his house and promised to make her a great star. However, another source says that she became one of the main performers of the XEW station after she auditioned for

Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta (2 March 1895 – 23 September 1972) was a Mexican businessman, known for founding the entertainment conglomerate Telesistema Mexicano (now Televisa). Early life Azcárraga was born on 2 March 1895 in Tampico, Ta ...

, who immediately signed her for three daily 15-minute spots; this happened in 1936. She made her record debut singing "Pensaba que tu amor" and "Cachito de sol" with Lara. She made her debut in Mexican films singing "Noche de ronda" in ''¡Esos hombres!'' (released in 1937). Manuel Reachi, an assistant to

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

producer Arthur Hornblow Jr., discovered her singing over XEW and took her to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

to appear in the musical ''Tropic Holiday'', where she sang songs by Lara and played Tito Guízar's sister. She was then chosen to play a young

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

woman named Yakima in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

''. In March 1938,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

signed her as a sustaining artist and gave her her own 15-minute program every Thursday with Frank Hodek's orchestra. Her success on the West Coast led her to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where she performed at the popular nightclub

La Martinique La Martinique was a popular nightclub in New York City, United States during the 1940s. Situated in a basement at 57 West 57th Street, the club was owned and operated by Dario Goldfarb and Jim Vernon. It was at La Martinique that Mr. & Mrs. Walt ...

and began a series of recordings for the

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

label. In 1941 she became the headline act at the Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan with dancer Patricia Bowman. After New York, she performed in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

at the Miami-Biltmore Hotel with Maximillian Bergere's orchestra. Her last appearances in Hollywood were as the leading lady of singer and actor Ray Whitley in the short film ''Cupid Rides the Range'' (1939) and as a Filipino woman in ''

The Real Glory ''The Real Glory'' is a 1939 Samuel Goldwyn Productions adventure film starring Gary Cooper, David Niven, Andrea Leeds and Broderick Crawford released by United Artists in the weeks immediately following Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Based ...

'' (1940). The first film she made in

was ''

Ven mi corazón te llama ''Ven mi corazón te llama'' is a 1942 Argentine film directed by Manuel Romero during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema The Golden Age of Argentine cinema (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Época de Oro del cine argentino'' or other equivalent ...

'' (1942), in which she played the mysterious and fascinating Sombra Rey, a fictional Mexican bolero singer. She returned to Mexican cinema with a starring role in ''Murallas de pasión'' (1944) with Isabela Corona and Alberto Galán. She also starred in the Argentine film '' El tango vuelve a París'' (1948) with tango singer Alberto Castillo and bandoneonist

Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular wit ...

, among others. In the early 1950s she recorded ''Sensualidad'', one of her first

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s, for the Mexican independent label Discos Musart. This

LP record The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...

includes eight tracks with Don Americo's orchestra. In 1957, she released her first studio album for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, ''Noche de ronda''. She rerecorded several of her classic hits, including "Noche de ronda", "Janitzio", and "Noche de luna". The album also includes a medley of

Guty Cárdenas Guty Cárdenas (1905–1932; full name Augusto Alejandro Cárdenas Pinelo) was a Mexican composer, singer and guitarist, noted as a representative of the ''cancion yucateca'' style of music. His well-known works include "Nunca", with lyrics by ...

songs,

Paul Misraki Paul Misraki (28 January 1908 – 29 October 1998) was a French composer of popular music and film scores. Over the course of over 60 years, Misraki wrote the music to 130 films, scoring works by directors like Jean Renoir, Claude Chabrol, Ja ...

's "Una mujer", and

's "Santa", among other songs. A year later, she appeared in the musical film ''Melodías inolvidables'' (released in 1959), singing "Noche de ronda" and "Noche de luna". In 1960, she recorded her second album for RCA Victor, ''Ausencia'', accompanied by Gonzalo "Chalo" Cervera's orchestra and pianist Pepe Agüeros. The title track is a

María Grever María Grever (14 September 1885 – 15 December 1951) was the first female Mexican composer to achieve international acclaim.Rodríguez, Lee M. L. María Grever: Poeta Y Compositora. Potomac, Md: Scripta Humanistica, 1994. Print. She is best kn ...

composition. The album also includes a new recording of Ríos' big 1940s hit "Desesperadamente", as well as the Agustín Lara

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

"Rival" and "Amor de mis amores" and

José Alfredo Jiménez José Alfredo Jiménez Sandoval (; 19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973) was a Mexican singer-songwriter, whose songs are regarded as the basis of modern Regional Mexican music and Rancheras. Early life Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, ...

' Mexican folk song "Qué bonito amor". On November 18, 1961, she became "the first non-U.S. performer" to perform in the show of the

National Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...

's annual President's Black Tie Ball in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Her third RCA Victor album, ''La emocional Elvira Ríos'', was also released in the 1960s. It features a new recording of "Flores negras", one of her

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

s; Agustín Lara's "Azul"; Alfonso Torres' "Pensando en ti"; and an Alberto Domínguez medley, "Frenesí-Perfidia", among other songs. For this album she also recorded two American pop songs—"

All the Things You Are "All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was written for the musical '' Very Warm for May'' (1939)Once in a While"—in English. She remained with RCA Victor until December 1973, when she signed a recording contract with the Orfeón label. In 1974, she recorded her first Orfeón album, ''La emocional Elvira Ríos'', accompanied by Chucho Zarzosa's orchestra. In 1979, Orfeón released a 3-LP compilation with 30 of Elvira Ríos' hits.

Death

Ríos 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 ...

and

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...

at her home in

Coyoacán Coyoacán ( ; , Otomi: ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre- ...

on January 13, 1987. Her remains were cremated at the Panteón Civil de Dolores.

Discography

Singles

;

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record label, originally founded by the Aeolian Company, a piano and organ manufacturer before being bought out by Brunswick in 1924. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pian ...

* "Pensaba que tu amor" with

(1936) * "Cachito de sol" with Agustín Lara (1936) ;

(Mexico) * "Janitzio" (1936) * "Desesperanza" (1936) * "Por qué no he de quererte" (1936) * "Muchacha del alma" (1936) * "No faltaba más" (1936) * "Quién" (1936) * "Ya no te quiero" (1936) * "Noche de ronda" (1936) ;

(US) * "Si te vas" (1938) * "Mía nomás" (1938) * "Qué te importa" (1938) * "Anoche" (1938) * "En silencio" (1939) * "Volverás" (1939) * "Caminos de ayer" (1939) * "Noche de luna" (1939) * "Incertidumbre" (1940) * "Lejos de ti" (1940) * "Vuelve" (1940) * "Ven acá" (1940) * "No te importe saber" (1940) * "Fidelidad" (1940) * "Vereda tropical" (1940) * "Perfidia" (1940) * "Tú no comprendes" (1940) * "Flores negras" (1940) * "Te vi pasar" (1940) * "Noche de ronda" (1940) * "Murmullo" (1940) * "Farolito" (1940) * " Star Dust" (1940) * " Time on My Hands" (1940) * "

I'll Never Smile Again "I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1939 song which became a 1940 ''Billboard'' chart-topper by Tommy Dorsey written by Ruth Lowe. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a jazz and pop standard. The most successful and best-know ...

" (1940) * "

My Melancholy Baby "My Melancholy Baby" is a popular song published in 1912 and first sung publicly by William Frawley. The music was written by Ernie Burnett (1884–1959), the lyrics by George A. Norton. Background Ernie Burnett, who is credited with compo ...

" (1940) * "Aquella noche" (1940) * "Desesperadamente" (1940) * "Triste camino" (1940) * "El organillero" (1940) * "Vuelve" (1941) * "Jamás" (1941) * "Oración Caribe" (1941) * "Noche criolla" (1941) * "Cuatro vidas" (1941) * "Buenas noches" (1941) * "Visión tropical" (1941) * "Sin ti" (1941) ;Columbia (Spain) * "Frenesí" (1950) * "Sin motivo" (1950) * "Triste verdad" (1950) * "Miedo de ti" (1950) * "Pensando en ti" (1950) * "No es un capricho" (1950)

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rios, Elvira 1913 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Mexican actresses Actresses from Mexico City Bolero singers Mexican film actresses Musart Records artists Deaths from kidney failure in Mexico Deaths from bladder cancer in Mexico Decca Records artists RCA Victor artists Mexican expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century Mexican women singers Women in Latin music