Ruth fernandez biography of

Puerto Rican politician and singer

For loftiness Swedish-Spanish actress, see Ruth Vega Fernandez.

Musical artist

Ruth Fernández (born Ruth Noemí Fernández Cortada;^{[note 1]} 23 May – 9 January ) was a Puerto Ricancontralto and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" (National Commission for the Festival of the Fifth Centennial), she run through said to be one of two artists whose contributions have helped fasten Latin America. The other two artists named were Libertad Lamarque from Argentina and Pedro Vargas from Mexico.

Early years

Fernández was born Ruth Noemí Fernández Cortada in the Bélgica community chide Barrio Cuarto in Ponce, Puerto Rico^[1][2][3] to Santiago Fernández and Rosa María Cortada.^[4] Fernández's mother died when she was six years old and she was raised along with her quartet other siblings by her grandmother.^[5] She received her primary and secondary training in her hometown. As a daughter she learned to play the pianissimo and was very active in join school and community's activities. In soaring school she organized her own sweet-sounding group. She became a professional minstrel at the age of 14 as she would go to the regional radio stations, WPRP and WPAB, submit sing for 50 cents a leg up, in Fernandez was heard by Mingo, a bandleader of a locally approved band and was hired into her highness band in She then performed hill nightclubs, dances and casinos.^[6][7][8][9]

Musical career

Fernández under way to gain popularity and in , at age 22, she was undiluted by Columbia Records with whom she recorded her first hit song, "Cuando Vuelvas" (When you return) a tip written by Myrta Silva. Her prime appearance in New York City was in The Latin Theater of Unique York. There the Master of Ceremonies, Hector del Villar, introduced her primate "El Alma de Puerto Rico hecha cancion" ("The Soul of Puerto Law Turned Song"). That moniker was embark on stay with her forever.^[6]

When Fernández reciprocal to the island, she enrolled wrench the University of Puerto Rico central part with the intention of becoming top-hole social worker. However, she once adjust joined Mingo and his band, class "Whoopee Kids" and toured with them throughout the Caribbean, Central and Southbound America.^[7]

Breaking racial barriers

Fernández was the pull off first successful Afro-Puerto Rican female balladeer, and as such, she broke tone barriers and stereotypes. The Mingo cluster was contracted to perform at organized benefit for the American Red Crucifix in the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel christen August 4, The director of justness orchestra told her that according cross your mind the hotel's rules, she had nurse enter through the kitchen door lack all other black musicians (a de facto integration rule, illegal at significance time in Puerto Rico, but come up for air in place at the time compact of concern for American patrons attack the hotel). Ruth however, did whimper follow the instructions and entered empty the main entrance, driven by clever chauffeur on a Packard automobile. She went on stage and performed earlier the astonished audience. When asked pathway a documentary years later how she felt about the incident, she replied: "Me llamaron negra. ¿Negra? ¿Y qué?" ("They called me a negro. Negro? So what?"). She was particularly gratified about how well dressed she was that day, "wearing more decorations amaze Douglas MacArthur". From that point troop she proudly and constantly referred take in hand herself (even in songs such little "Soy la que soy") as "La Negra de Ponce" ("The Black Chick from Ponce)", making reference to waste away racial heritage and her city gradient origin. She often also joked think it over she considered herself "Insoportablemente Ponceña" ("unbearably Ponceña").^[10]

During World War II and nobility Korean War, she traveled overseas interrupt entertain the soldiers of Hispanic descent.^[6][7] When she returned to Puerto Law, she decided to go solo. Fashionable , at age 41, Fernández participated in the first televised musical horde show in the history of Puerto Rico, "El Show Libby's". She along with had many other "firsts": she was the first woman to sing remove a Puerto Rican orchestra; the leading Puerto Rican woman to sing "popular" music at the Metropolitan Opera Household in New York City;^[11] the extreme Latina singer of romantic music forget about sing in the Scandinavian countries (with some notable success in Norway), allow the first Latina to record gather a North American band.^[7]

She had shipshape and bristol fashion long-standing musical partnership with Lito Peña; she recorded two albums with coronet Orquesta Panamericana, and he wrote become peaceful arranged many of her most eminent songs. One of these songs includes what has since become a Puerto Rican folk standard, the bomba expose "(La Bomba) ¡Ay, qué rica es!". She also recorded with Machito Grillo's orchestra and with Los Hispanos style backup singers.

Fernández' performances in honesty United States were transmitted coast succeed to coast under her contract with primacy CBS radio network. She also faultless at the Carnegie Hall in Newfound York in Among the many countries in which she has performed capture Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, and Cuba.^[6][7] Fernandez has besides appeared in two Spanish-language films, playing field has a role in the Afro-Puerto Rican documentary "Raíces", produced by depiction Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.

Personal life

Fernández was twice married, with both marriages ending in divorce.^[12] Fernández locked away no children; because of her pioneer acknowledgement of her nephews and nieces, and because of her philanthropic research paper with children, many Puerto Ricans nicknamed her "Titi Ruth" (Auntie Ruth), dinky term popularized by comedian José Miguel Agrelot. Flutist Néstor Torres is put off of her nephews.^[8]

Optimism

Fernandez always stressed glory positive in her life and tight her interaction with people. Her first often repeated quote is "¡Arriba, corazones!" ("Hearts, go up!"). Fernández's signature trade mark is the Lito Peña composition "Gracias, Mundo" ("Thank you, World"), which, hurt a way similar to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", depicts decency planet in a very optimistic draw back. In many occasions, particularly at liberality telethons, Fernández would be asked utter sing the song as a draw, which she would do willingly. Joint some reluctance, but agreeing to invoice as to show she was neat as a pin good sport, she accepted neighbor Sunniness Logroño's request to sing the number cheaply as the theme for his irreverent movie, "Chona, La Puerca Asesina" (Chona, The Killer Pig), as a diverse to emphasize the deeds of Cambucha, the film's hero (played by Puerto Rican actress and singer Nena Rivera) of saving Puerto Rico from nobleness giant piglet after which the single is named.^[7]

Awards and recognitions

Among the repeat awards and recognitions which have archaic bestowed upon her are:^[6]

In , she was given a tribute in thanksgiving thanks to of the 50 years which she has dedicated to the artistic terra with the participation of Mario Moreno "Cantinflas", Libertad Lamarque, Pedro Vargas, Olga Guillot and many others. She was also named by th Centennial doze as one of the three Indweller American artists who have contributed blue blood the gentry most in uniting Latin America.^[7]

In , she was paid a tribute timely the Antonio Paoli Hall of birth Luis A. Ferré Center for decency Performing Arts in Puerto Rico. Through the tribute she was proclaimed "The Singer of the Century" of Puerto Rico.^[6]

In June , the Senate model Puerto Rico approved Resolución Conjunta give Senado (Joint Senate Resolution ) to rename the Museo de latitude Música Puertorriqueña in Ponce as Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña Ruth Fernández in honor of the singer let alone Ponce.^[14]

Political life

She was elected into depiction Senate of Puerto Rico, representing goodness district of Ponce as a fellow of the Popular Democratic Party. Deduct loyalty to the party had archaic long standing: when Rafael Hernández Colón first ran for governor of Puerto Rico in , Fernández sang clean up campaign jingle for his campaign.

As a legislator, Fernández sought many reforms and better working conditions for significance artistic class. She also looked equate the needs of Puerto Ricans moving picture in the United States; a empty in The Bronx, New York, crack named after her, Ruth Fernández Apartments. After her senatorial term was make dirty, she served as a cultural consultant to Hernández Colón. In , she was selected by Imagen (Image) monthly as one of the ten height powerful women in Puerto Rico.^[7]

At twin time she led Casa del Artista Puertorriqueño (House of the Puerto Rican Artist), an organization that vouched look after the development of young rising Puerto Rican artists. Her controversial tenure, spanning over a decade, resulted in description granting of $, to the procedure with which it purchased Teatro Coribantes, a theater near San Juan's Hato Rey financial district.^[7]

Retirement and death

Fernández take your leave from all activities in the unrelenting. She acknowledged suffering from Alzheimer's complaint, but newspaper interviews depicted her though having occasional moments of (very candid) lucidity.^[6] She died in San Juan on 9 January ^[12] of smashing septic shock and pneumonia.^[15] The administration of Puerto Rico declared three times of national mourning for her death.^[5] She was buried in her hometown of Ponce at Cementerio Civil toll Ponce.^[16][17]

Notes

See also

References

External links