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Rocío Dúrcal
Si Te Pudiera Mentir (Rocio Durcal Album Cover).jpg
Studio album cover of Si Te Pudiera Mentir
Born
María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz

(1944-10-04)4 October 1944
Madrid, Spain
Died 25 March 2006(2006-03-25) (aged 61)
Resting place Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Spouse(s)
Antonio Morales
(m. 1970)
Children 3
Family Shaila Dúrcal (daughter)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
Years active 1959–2006
Labels
Associated acts
Signature
Firma Rocío Dúrcal.svg

María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal, was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of Reina de las Rancheras ("Queen of Rancheras").

In 2005 Dúrcal received a Latin Grammy Award for musical excellence, a prize that is awarded by the Governing Board of the Recording Latin Academy to artists who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance during their careers.

Career

Dúrcal 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.

Acting

Her first film was Canción de Juventud (1961) 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. Then she co-starred in the film Amor en el Aire (1967) with the then young Argentine singer-songwriter Palito Ortega. In 1968 she filmed Cristina Guzmán, the first of her films that was aimed at an audience over 18.

Her last film was with Bárbara Rey in Me Siento Extraña in 1977.

Singing

In 1970 Dúrcal married Filipino-born musician Antonio Morales (known professionally as Júnior), who would manage her singing career. In 1972, Antonio Morales began a series of television shows in Spain and Latin America singing with his wife as a duet. Their first child, Spanish actress Carmen Morales de las Heras, was born in December 1970. After the birth of their second child, Antonio Morales de las Heras, in April 1974, Morales decided to give up his career to devote time to their children. Dúrcal meanwhile continued her film and singing career. In 1979 she had her third child, Shaila Morales de las Heras, who took up a singing career under the stage name of Shaila Dúrcal and is also a successful singer.

In 1977, Dúrcal signed a contract with Ariola Eurodisc (with singer-songwriter Camilo Sesto supporting her in her projects) dedicating herself to the musical career. That year, while in Mexico, she met the Mexican singer-songwriter Alberto Aguilera Valadez, better known as Juan Gabriel, who decided to record a whole album of rancheras performed by Rocío Dúrcal entitled Rocío Dúrcal canta a Juan Gabriel. Without further advertising, the LP received high levels of sales, so Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel considered the possibility of a new recording together. They ended up doing 5 LPs, marking the revival of Rocío Dúrcal as a singer. The final collaboration between Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel emerged in 10 albums. Dúrcal's album named Canta A Juan Gabriel Volumen 6 (1984) is among the top ten best-selling albums in the history of Mexico. For this album Rocío Dúrcal received her first Grammy Award nomination.

The collaboration of Dúrcal with Juan Gabriel was interrupted by disagreements between the artists and because of problems of Juan Gabriel with his record label, so Dúrcal continued to record albums with other songwriters such as Marco Antonio Solís and Rafael Pérez Botija (with whom under his leadership in 1981 she recorded the album of ballads Confidencias). In 1988 she recorded the album Como Tu Mujer with producer Marco Antonio Solis.

In 1990, she recorded her first album on CD format entitled Si Te Pudiera Mentir. In 1991, Durcal offered a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, recorded in a double disc El Concierto... En Vivo. Between 1992 and 1993 she recorded the album Desaires, produced by the Mexican singer and songwriter Joan Sebastián. In this album she reprises ranchera.

In 1995 she launched her production Hay Amores Y Amores, with songs written and produced by the Argentine Roberto Livi. For this album she is nominated again to the Grammy Awards in the category "Best Latin Pop Album". In 1997 the double album Juntos Otra Vez brought Rocío Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel together again for the last time. That album was made by an engagement with the record company and not by the desire of both artists to continue to cooperate.

In 1998, under the direction of her discoverer Luis Sanz, Dúrcal starred in the Spanish TV Show Los negocios de mamá, broadcast by Televisión Española. In 2000, she celebrated 40 years in the industry. In that year she returned to ranchera music with the album Caricias, under the production of songwriter and producer Bebu Silvetti. In 2001 Rocío Dúrcal recorded Entre Tangos Y Mariachi, again produced by Bebu Silvetti, an album that includes 10 of the most famous Argentine tango arrangements interpreted with ranchero/bolero style like her previous album. In the summer of 2001 Dúrcal made a successful tour in Spain, after 13 years of no shows in Spain.

After a year and a half absence, she returned to the stage on 19 September 2002 with a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico, which was recorded in a double album that was released on CD and then on DVD on 22 October 2002, En Concierto... Inolvidable. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. In 2003, the artist received another Latin Grammy Award nomination for her album Caramelito, produced by Kike Santander. In May 2004 she returned to Spain to record what would be her last album Alma Ranchera, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award, but did not win.

Illness and death

Cripta de Rocío Dúrcal
Rocío Dúrcal's crypt at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City

In 2001, after recording her album Entre Tangos y Mariachi, Dúrcal was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Dúrcal canceled her tours while subjected to medical treatments, and came back to her tours in 2002. In 2003, from Spain, she collaborated with the Mexican singer Julio Preciado for a duet in the song "Si nos dejan" included in his album Que me siga la tambora.

Rocío Dúrcal died on 25 March 2006 at the age of 61 from uterine cancer at her home in Torrelodones, Madrid. She was cremated and a portion of her ashes were scattered in Spain while the remainder of her ashes were deposited into a crypt at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the same place where years later a portion of the ashes from her husband Antonio Morales who died in 2014, were also deposited next to her.

Select discography

Albums

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Latin US Latin Pop
1986 "La Guirnalda" 1 - Siempre
"Quédate Conmigo Esta Noche" 4 -
1987 "Siempre" 10 -
"Infidelidad" 22 -
"Obligado" - -
1988 "Como Tu Mujer" 1 - Como Tu Mujer
1989 "¿Qué Esperabas De Mí?" 4 -
"El Amor Más Bonito" 9 -
"Extrañándote" 8 -
1990 "Ya Te Olvidé" 12 -
"Te Amo" 5 - Si Te Pudiera Mentir
1991 "La Balanza" 10 -
"Falso" 33 -
1994 "Desaires" 4 - Desaires
"Mi Credo" 14 -
1995 "Vestida De Blanco" 3 6 Hay Amores y Amores
"Como Han Pasado Los Años" 17 4
"Qué De Mí" - 7
1997 "El Destino"(with Juan Gabriel) 1 6 Juntos Otra Vez
"La Incertidumbre" 11 -
1999 "Para Toda La Vida" 22 10 Para Toda la Vida
2000 "Porque Te Quiero" 26 19 Caricias
2001 "Infiel" 4 5
"Sombras...¡Nada Más!" 16 9 Entre Tangos y Mariachis

Filmography

Year Title Role Director
1962 Canción de Juventud Rocío Luzón Luis Lucia
1963 Rocío de La Mancha Rocío / Isabel Luis Lucia
1963 La chica del trébol Rocío Sergio Grieco
1964 Tengo 17 años Rocío / Natalia José María Forqué
1965 Más bonita que ninguna Luisa / Luisito Luis César Amadori
1966 Acompáñame Mercedes Luis César Amadori
1967 Good Morning, Little Countess María Luis César Amadori
1967 Love in Flight Clara Luis César Amadori
1968 Cristina Guzmán Cristina / Mara Luis César Amadori
1969 Las Leandras Patricia Eugenio Martín
1972 The Rebellious Novice Gloria Luis Lucia
1972 Marianela Marianela Angelino Fons
1974 Díselo con flores Úrsula Pierre Grimblat
1977 Me siento extraña Laura Enrique Martí Maqueda

Television

Year Show Role Director TV Channel
1977 Mujeres insólitas
(La sierpe del Nilo)
Cleopatra Cayetano Luca de Tena Televisión Española
1997 Los negocios de mamá Ana Luis Sanz Televisión Española

Theatre

Year Title Author
1964 Un domingo en Nueva York Adolfo Marsillach
1974 La muchacha sin retorno Santiago Moncada
1977 Contacto peculiar Adolfo Marsillach

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rocío Dúrcal para niños

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