Rocío Dúrcal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rocío Dúrcal
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) Torrelodones, Spain
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	Canción melódica Ranchera
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1959–2006
Labels	Ariola Records BMG Music Sony BMG Sony Music
Associated acts	Juan Gabriel Enrique Guzmán Lola Beltrán Vicente Fernández Antonio Morales Palito Ortega Raphael Marco Antonio Solís Joan Sebastián Lucha Villa Amalia Mendoza Daniela Romo Cecilia Camilo Sesto Kany García Joaquín Sabina
Signature

María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (born October 4, 1944 – died March 25, 2006), known as Rocío Dúrcal, was a famous Spanish singer and actress. She was very popular in Mexico and was often called the Reina de las Rancheras, which means "Queen of Ranchera songs."

In 2005, Rocío Dúrcal received a special Latin Grammy Award for her amazing musical work. This award is given to artists who have made very important creative contributions throughout their careers.

Rocío Dúrcal's Career

Rocío Dúrcal started her journey in music by joining different radio singing contests. Her grandfather secretly supported her, as he believed in her talent and was her first big fan. In 1959, with her parents' permission, she appeared on a TV show called Primer Aplauso in Spain. She sang a traditional song called "La sombra vendo." A manager named Luis Sanz saw her on the show and was very impressed by her talent. He quickly found her and helped her start her career.

Becoming an Actress

Rocío Dúrcal's first movie was Canción de Juventud (1961), directed by Luis Lucia. The movie was about a teenager with a strong personality. It was a huge hit in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Because of this success, Rocío immediately became the star of another movie, Rocío de La Mancha. Soon after, she signed her first record deal. The songs she sang in these movies became her first album, Las películas de Rocío Dúrcal (1962).

In her third film, Tengo 17 años (1964), Rocío stopped playing "child star" roles. That same year, she acted in her first play, Un domingo en Nueva York, showing everyone she was also a great theater actress. In 1965, she filmed Más bonita que ninguna, and the band Los Brincos wrote some songs for it. In 1966, she starred with Enrique Guzmán in Acompáñame. She also started singing duets with other artists. Later, she co-starred in Amor en el Aire (1967) with the Argentine singer Palito Ortega. In 1968, she made Cristina Guzmán, which was her first movie for an older audience.

Her last film was Me Siento Extraña in 1977, where she acted with Bárbara Rey.

Her Singing Journey

In 1970, Rocío Dúrcal married Antonio Morales, a musician from the Philippines known as Júnior. He then helped manage her singing career. In 1972, Antonio and Rocío sang together as a duet on TV shows in Spain and Latin America. Their first child, Carmen Morales, was born in December 1970. After their second child, Antonio Morales Jr., was born in April 1974, her husband decided to stop his own career to focus on their children. Rocío continued her acting and singing. In 1979, they had their third child, Shaila Morales, who also became a successful singer known as Shaila Dúrcal.

In 1977, Rocío Dúrcal signed a new music contract. That year, in Mexico, she met the famous Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel. He decided to record a whole album of ranchera songs with Rocío Dúrcal, called Rocío Dúrcal canta a Juan Gabriel. This album sold incredibly well, so Rocío and Juan Gabriel decided to record more together. They ended up making five albums, which really helped Rocío Dúrcal become a huge singing star again. In total, they worked together on 10 albums. Her album Canta A Juan Gabriel Volumen 6 (1984) is one of the top ten best-selling albums in the history of Mexico. For this album, Rocío Dúrcal received her first Grammy Award nomination.

Rocío Dúrcal's work with Juan Gabriel stopped for a while due to some disagreements. So, Rocío started recording albums with other songwriters like Marco Antonio Solís and Rafael Pérez Botija. In 1981, she recorded the ballad album Confidencias with Rafael Pérez Botija. In 1988, she recorded Como Tu Mujer with producer Marco Antonio Solís.

In 1990, she released her first album on CD, titled Si Te Pudiera Mentir. In 1991, Rocío gave a concert in Mexico City, which was recorded as a double album called El Concierto... En Vivo. Between 1992 and 1993, she recorded Desaires, produced by the Mexican singer Joan Sebastián. This album brought her back to ranchera music.

In 1995, she released Hay Amores Y Amores, with songs written by Roberto Livi from Argentina. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Album." In 1997, Rocío Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel worked together one last time on the double album Juntos Otra Vez.

In 1998, Rocío Dúrcal starred in a Spanish TV show called Los negocios de mamá. In 2000, she celebrated 40 years in the music industry. That year, she returned to ranchera music with the album Caricias. In 2001, Rocío Dúrcal recorded Entre Tangos Y Mariachi, which included famous Argentine tango songs sung in a ranchero/bolero style. In the summer of 2001, she had a very successful tour in Spain, her first shows there in 13 years.

After a year and a half away, she returned to the stage on September 19, 2002, with a concert in Mexico. This concert was recorded as a double album and DVD called En Concierto... Inolvidable, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award.

In 2003, she received another Latin Grammy Award nomination for her album Caramelito. In May 2004, she went back to Spain to record her last album, Alma Ranchera, which was also nominated for a Latin Grammy Award.

Illness and Passing

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

In 2001, after recording her album Entre Tangos y Mariachi, Rocío Dúrcal was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She stopped her tours to receive medical treatments and returned to performing in 2002. In 2003, she sang a duet with Mexican singer Julio Preciado for his song "Si nos dejan."

Rocío Dúrcal passed away on March 25, 2006, at the age of 61, due to uterine cancer. She died at her home in Torrelodones, Madrid. Her body was cremated, and some of her ashes were spread in Spain. The rest of her ashes were placed in a crypt at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Years later, in 2014, a part of her husband Antonio Morales's ashes were also placed next to hers.

Select Discography

Albums

Singles

Filmography

Television

Theatre

Images for kids

• 

  Dúrcal with Palito Ortega in Amor en el aire (1967)

• 

  An advertisement for a Dúrcal concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1989.

• 

  A Roundabout in Madrid, Spain, named after Dúrcal to honor her memory.

See also

In Spanish: Rocío Dúrcal para niños