Fredesvinda García Valdés, known always as ''Freddy'', (1935 in
Camagüey
Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.
It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by S ...
– 31 July 1961 in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the ju ...
) was a
Cuban female singer of high quality.
Biography
She was born in
Céspedes
Céspedes is a Spanish patronymic surname, originating in Spain which is derived from the spanish ''césped,'' meaning "grass; fields." It would have likely denoted a farmer or gardener. It can refer to:
*Alba de Céspedes, Cuban-Italian writer
*A ...
, a small village in the
Camagüey Province
Camagüey () is the largest of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is Camagüey. Other towns include Florida and Nuevitas.
Geography
Camagüey is mostly low lying, with no major hills or mountain ranges passing through the province. Numerous l ...
of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, into a poor peasant family. She sang
a cappella in clubs in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. and recorded only one album before her death from a heart attack. Her weight (over 300 lbs) gave a very distinctive, androgynous sound to her voice. She was, almost entirely, a singer of
boleros and
canciones.
[Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana. vol 2, p. 124]
When she moved Havana at the age of 12, she became a cook for the family of
Arturo Bengochea Arturo is a Spanish and Italian variant of the name Arthur.
People
*Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1985), American-born Salvadoran footballer
*Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1959), Mexican footballer
*Arthuro Henrique Bernhardt (b. 1982), Bra ...
, who was the president of the Cuban League of Professional Base-Ball, but she soon found herself singing nights at the ''Bar Celeste'', on Humboldt and Infanta Streets, a place where artists used to meet. She was spotted by the director of the ''Hotel Capris casino and given a contract. She opened at the Cabaret Capri with orchestration by Rafael Somavilla in the review ''Piminta y Sal'' (pepper & salt) with other singers, dancers, and a quartet led by pianist Carlos Faxas. Freddy appeared in several key TV programs, like ''Jueves de Partagas'' (1959), which she remembered dearly. On that show she appeared with
Benny Moré and
Celia Cruz.
Freddy traveled to
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 ...
and then on to
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
with a company led by dancer and choreographer
Roderyco Neyra (''Rodney''). From there, she flew, along with others, to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
and then to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. She got several contracts and was even presented on San Juan TV.
In popular culture
She appears as Estrella Rodrigues in
Guillermo Cabrera Infante's book about Havana's nightlife during the years of the Revolution, ''
Tres tristes tigres'' (published in English as ''Three Trapped Tigers'') (1966). Portions of this, featuring Freddy predominantly, were later republished as ''
Ella cantaba boleros''.
She also appears in the novel ''
The Island of Eternal Love
''The Island of Eternal Love'' is a 2006 novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.
The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s.
The modern story revolves around th ...
'' by
Daína Chaviano (2006).
Discography
Her only album is known variously as ''La voz del sentimento'' or ''Ella cantaba boleros''. It was recorded in 1960 for
Puchito Records under the reference: Puchito MLP 552.
Humberto Suarez Humberto is a Portuguese and Spanish masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to:
* Humberto Aguilar Coronado
* Humberto Ak'ab'al
*Humberto Albiñana
* Humberto Albornoz
*Humberto Alonso Morelli
* Humberto Alonso Razo
*Humberto Andrade ...
did the musical arrangements and conducted the orchestra.
* "
El hombre que yo amo
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), America ...
," ("The man I love"), by
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
* "Tengo," by
Marta Valdes
Marta may refer to:
People
* Marta (given name), a feminine given name
* Märta, a feminine given name
* Marta (surname)
:István Márta composer
* Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer
Places
* Marta (river), an ...
(de)
* "La cita," by
Gabriel Ruiz (composer)
Gabriel Ruiz Galindo (March 18, 1908 in Guadalajara, JaliscoJanuary 31, 1999) was a Mexican songwriter. He was son of Rosalío Ruiz and Aurelia Galindo.Víctor Díaz Arciniega, ''Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes, 1945-1990'' Secretaría de Educ ...
* "
Noche y Dia" ("Night and Day"), by
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film.
Born to ...
* "Vivamos hoy," by
Wilfredo Riquelme
* "Freddy" by
Ela O'Farril (specially written for her)
* "Noche de ronda," by
Agustín Lara
* "Tengo que decirte," by
Rafael Pedraza
* "Debi Llorar," by
Piloto y Vera
* "Sombras y mas sombras," by
Humberto Suarez Humberto is a Portuguese and Spanish masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to:
* Humberto Aguilar Coronado
* Humberto Ak'ab'al
*Humberto Albiñana
* Humberto Albornoz
*Humberto Alonso Morelli
* Humberto Alonso Razo
*Humberto Andrade ...
* "Gracias mi amor," by
Jesus Faneity
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
* "
Bésame Mucho," by
Consuelo Velázquez
Consuelo Velázquez Torres (August 21, 1916 in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco – January 22, 2005, Mexico City), also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez, was a Mexican concert pianist and composer. She was the composer of famous Mexican ballads ...
ASIN: B000009RPF (''Ella Cantaba Boleros'')
ASIN: B00008EPKE (''La Voz Del Sentimento'')
Listen to extracts of the recording
"Freddy", the song
Lyrics of the song specially written for her by Ela O'Farril.
"Freddy"
Soy una mujer que canta
Para mitigar las penas
De las horas vividas y perdidas.
Me queda sólo esto:
Decirle a la noche,
Todo lo que yo siento,
Cantando canciones;
Despierto ilusiones
Dormidas en mí.
Muchos me vieron
Caminando a solas
Bajo las luces
Desiertas y azules de mi soledad.
¿Qué fue mi vida desde siempre?
Sólo trabajo y miseria,
Por eso cantaba a las estrellas
Y quizás me oyó hasta Dios.
Soy una mujer que canta
Para mitigar las penas.
No era nada ni nadie y ahora,
Dicen que soy una estrella,
Que me convertí en una de ellas
Para brillar en la eterna noche.
Soy una mujer que canta
Para mitigar las penas.
No era nada ni nadie y ahora,
Dicen que soy una estrella,
Que me convertí en una de ellas
Para brillar en la eterna noche.
Rough translation:
I am a woman who sings to soften the sufferings of the vivid and lost hours. This is all I have left: Telling the night all that I feel, singing songs; lively illusions asleep in me. Many saw me walking alone under the lights empty and blue of my solitude. What has my life always been like? Only work and misery; this is why I sing to the stars and perhaps God will hear me.
I am a woman who sings to soften the sufferings. There was nothing and no one and now, they say I am a star; that I turned myself into one of those to shine in the eternal night.
I am a woman who sings to soften the sufferings. There was nothing and no one and now, they say I am a star; that I turned myself into one of those to shine in the eternal night. (translated by wikieditor)
References
External links
profile on Cubanet
* ''Musica Cubana, del areyto a la Nueva Trova'',
Cristobal Diaz Ayala, Cubanacan, Puerto Rico, 1983
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Fredesvinda
1930s births
1961 deaths
20th-century Cuban women singers