Rocio Durcal

Rocío Dúrcal was born as María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz on October 4, 1944 in Madrid, Spain. She was the daughter of a working-class family and had a passion for music since childhood. She began her artistic career by participating in various radio song festivals and competitions, secretly supported by her paternal grandfather, who always believed in her talent and became her first fan. In 1959, with the approval of her parents, she participated in the television program Primer Aplauso, broadcast by Televisión Española. The theme that she chose for the contest was the traditional song "La sombra vendo". Luis Sanz, a Madrid manager who watched the show, was impressed by her talent and personality. Sanz contacted the program for the name and the address of the young contestant. Her first film was Canción de Juventud (1962) directed by Luis Lucia. The plot of the film portrayed a teenager with her own personality. The movie scored huge box office and critics success. This success was repeated in other Spanish-speaking countries where the movie was shown. Immediately Dúrcal became the star of Rocío de La Mancha. Following this, she got her first record deal with transnational Phonogram (now Universal Music). The songs the artist played in both films served to make her first album, Las películas de Rocío Dúrcal (1962). In Dúrcal's third film, Tengo 17 años (1964), she put aside her role of "child star". That same year, she appeared in her first theater play, Un domingo en Nueva York, in which she was revealed as a great theatrical actress. In 1965 she filmed Más bonita que ninguna; the band Los Brincos wrote some songs for the movie. In 1966, she shared the spotlight with Enrique Guzmán in the film Acompáñame. She began to perform duets with such singers as Jaime Morey and Amalia de Isaura. In 1970, Rocío married the Philippine singer and composer, Antonio Morales Barreto, better known as Júnior, a former member of the pop group Los Brincos. Their marriage proved one of the more solid marriages in the world of show business and they had three children: Carmen María (born in 1971), Antonio (born in 1974) and Shaila (born in 1980), and one grandson, Christian (born in 1997, the son of Carmen María). In 1975, Rocío retired from movies to dedicate herself to her family but returned to show business two years later when she recorded the first of many records of material written by the Mexican singer-composer Juan Gabriel. Backed by the Mexican band Mariachi América, these resulted in unexpected hits, popularity and awards, not only in Spain and Mexico, but also in Latin America and in the Hispanic community of the United States. Rocío Durcal (ironically, being Spanish) revitalised the Mexican music scene in the 1970s and 80s and became even better known as a singer of canción melódica and ranchera genres in her later years than she had been as an actress at the start of her career. With thousands of fans worldwide and records sales in their millions, this Madrid-born lady was, undoubtedly, one of the brightest stars of Spanish language show business. In 2001, Rocío Durcal was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus that unfortunately was later found to have spread to her lung and brain. Despite extensive treatment, Rocío died on March 25, 2006 in Torrelodones, Madrid, Spain. Her ashes were taken to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where she had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary. She was honored with numerous tributes and awards, including a Latin Grammy Award for musical excellence in 2005, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011, and a ranking of number 139 on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2023. Her musical legacy and popularity in Spain and Latin America remain intact to this day, as she is considered one of the most influential and beloved artists of all time.