Few world-famous singers can declare, having gone through a long creative and life path, about full houses at their concerts at the age of 93. This is what the star of the Mexican musical world, Chavela Vargas, could boast of.
Isabel Vargas Lizano, who is known to everyone under the name of Chavela Vargas, was born on April 17, 1919 in Central America, in the small state of Costa Rica.
As a child, she had been ill with a terrible infectious disease - polio (infantile spinal paralysis). The girl almost lost her sight.
Mexican shamans, who undertook to cure her, managed to save the sight of the future singer with folk remedies.
Since childhood, the love of folk songs has seized her irrevocably. At the age of 14, she went to Mexico to try her luck in the musical field. She wanted to develop her already unique creative abilities.
Creativity Chavela Vargas
The singer had to hone her vocal skills in bars and on the street stage, where she performed in front of people for many years. And only in adulthood, being a 30-year-old woman, she became a professional singer.
Her love for folk song helped her create a new direction in music - ranchera. Becoming the founder of this style, the singer won a huge audience of fans.
The goal of a talented singer with significant ambitions was achieved - she was recognized and loved by the creative world.
During the Second World War, she toured extensively, until the 1950s. Fate brought her together with the most famous actors and musical leaders of Hollywood.
She managed to record her first album Con El Cuarteto Lara Foster only at the age of 42.
Never changing the ethnic image of the rancher she created, she was named among fans as a woman in a red poncho..
This style of clothing was the most appropriate for the songs performed. The musical style she created is almost a folk song of Mexican ranch dwellers.
Emotional, captivating melodies, stirring the blood, cannot leave any listener indifferent. These are songs about love, nature, patriotism.
At the peak of her creative career, she disappeared from the music scene for a long time. She lived quietly and modestly in Mexico.
But the musical nature took its toll. And in 1990, she again shone on the best stages of the world. She is applauded by the most famous music halls in Paris, New York, Barcelona and Mexico City.
An impeccable manner of performance, an exciting voice, brilliant theatrical performance were awarded the highest royal award of Spain.
Acting activity
“A talented person is talented in everything!”. So it is possible and necessary to characterize the original talent of the singer. Interest in life, creativity, thirst for new experiences made her change her role for a while.
The offer of the famous Spanish director Pedro Almodovar to star in his film The Flower of My Secret was received with enthusiasm by her.
She starred in the film and recorded the musical score for it. Her close friendship with the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, their living together in the artist's house greatly influenced the development of the singer's personality.
Later, the difficult fate of the famous artist formed the basis of the plot of the film Frida, in which she played the main role.
She perfectly played the role of Chavel in the film "Scream of a Stone" by the German director Werner Herzog. Then the actress starred in the television series Premier Orfeon and in many other films.
Merit Isabelle Vargas Lizano
Such a stormy busy life of the famous creative personality aroused interest among the press, directors and directors. Some of them made documentaries about the difficult interweaving of the life of a famous singer.
Believing that the rights of Mexican women were infringed, she fought for the expansion of their rights. Not engaging in shamanism and magic, for her creative and social activities, she received the title of honorary shaman.
So decided the tribe of shamans, and she gratefully accepted this honorary title.
The book of memoirs written by her, and released in millions of copies, was instantly sold out. It reflects the most intimate thoughts and reasoning of the artist.
Recordings of concert performances and CDs with her songs are still very popular and are bought up by fans of her talent all over the world. In recognition of her invaluable merits in the music world, one of the streets in Spain is named after her.
The last concert of the singer
Until the last days of her long life, she was engaged in creative activities. And in old age she was able to collect a full house at a concert in the capital of Spain in 2012.
The fans who applauded her work at this concert could not even think that they were present at the last creative evening in the life of the singer. Two months later, the legend performing ethnic songs of Hispanic peoples was gone.
Recognized as the founder of a new direction of Mexican music and ethnic song genres, Chavela Vargas preached the beauty and originality of her people's creativity throughout her life and creative activity.
Folk love is never accidental, and not every famous singer or musician receives such high recognition and appreciation of creativity as it was noted during his lifetime.
