Graciela Naranjo
Encyclopedia
Graciela Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] (December 25, 1916 – April 11, 2001) was a Venezuela
n singer and actress. A radio, cinema and television pioneer in her homeland, she made her professional debut as a bolero
singer in 1931. From the thirties onward her fame as a singer grew, she appeared in films and had her own TV show
in an incredibly long career that extended from 1931 through 2000. She is the mother of musician Alberto Naranjo
.
. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to Caracas
to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing Christmas music
in a church coral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at Broadcasting Caracas
when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm contralto
voice as her innovative behind-the-beat
phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments. She often really did live the words she sang, particularly in later years.
From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including Ary Barroso
, Carlos Gardel
, Tito Guízar
, Agustín Lara
and Pedro Vargas
, to become a notorious celebrity and her audience greatly increased. She also made films in Venezuela next to Amador Bendayán
and Alfredo Sadel
, among other important artists, appearing in Romance aragüeño (1939), Misión atómica (1947), and A La Habana me voy (1949). She also was backed-up by the famed Orquesta Anacaona
in a couple of songs which were recorded in Venezuela in 1943.
With the establishment of television in Venezuela in the early 1950s, Naranjo hosted her own TV show at the now-defunct Televisa
from 1954-'55. At this time, she received contract offers from Colombia
, Cuba
, Mexico
and Puerto Rico
, but chose to stick around Caracas and raised a family instead of pursuing an international artistic career. She put off potential success until finally becoming a major TV attraction while in her 40s, retiring in 1961 in the Renny Ottolina
TV show. After that, she performed on a periodic, but not regular basis, at radio, universities and nostalgia shows until the early 1980s.
Most vocalists fade while in their 60s due to the physical difficulty of their own natural instrument, but Naranjo would find herself again as a singer when she was 77. Encouraged in 1993 by his son Alberto, she started making records and returned to television and concerts, and was still active until a few months before her death, in Caracas, at the age of 84.
As guest
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n singer and actress. A radio, cinema and television pioneer in her homeland, she made her professional debut as a bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
singer in 1931. From the thirties onward her fame as a singer grew, she appeared in films and had her own TV show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
in an incredibly long career that extended from 1931 through 2000. She is the mother of musician Alberto Naranjo
Alberto Naranjo
Alberto Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] is a musician. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland...
.
Career
Naranjo was born in Maiquetía, VargasMaiquetía
Maiquetía is a city in the Vargas state of Venezuela, near Caracas.Simón Bolívar International Airport, which handles both international and domestic flights, is located in the city....
. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
in a church coral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at Broadcasting Caracas
Radio Caracas Radio
Radio Caracas Radio is a Venezuelan radio station. It is owned by Empresas 1BC, Venezuela's second largest privately-owned media corporation, which also owns Radio Caracas Televisión, a popular and controversial cable and satellite channel.-Background:...
when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm contralto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
voice as her innovative behind-the-beat
Tempo rubato
Tempo rubato is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor...
phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments. She often really did live the words she sang, particularly in later years.
From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including Ary Barroso
Ary Barroso
Ary Barroso was a Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator, and talent-show host on radio and TV...
, Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was born in Toulouse, France, although he never acknowledged his birthplace publicly, and there are still claims of his birth in Uruguay. He lived in Argentina from the age of two...
, Tito Guízar
Tito Guízar
Federico Arturo Guízar Tolentino was a Mexican singer and actor. He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico....
, Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...
and Pedro Vargas
Pedro Vargas
Pedro Vargas Mata was a Mexican singer and actor, from the golden age of Mexican cinema. He was known as the "Nightingale of the Americas".-Biography:...
, to become a notorious celebrity and her audience greatly increased. She also made films in Venezuela next to Amador Bendayán
Amador Bendayán
Amador Bendayán [ben-dah-IAN] was a Venezuelan actor and entertainer.The son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Bendayán was born in Villa de Cura, Aragua, and was raised and educated in Caracas...
and Alfredo Sadel
Alfredo Sadel
Alfredo Sadel was a popular Venezuelan singer and actor. Born Alfredo Sánchez Luna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sadel was affectionately called "The Favorite Tenor of Venezuela" . He adopted his stage name by combining the first syllable of his surname with the last syllable of the surname of his...
, among other important artists, appearing in Romance aragüeño (1939), Misión atómica (1947), and A La Habana me voy (1949). She also was backed-up by the famed Orquesta Anacaona
Anacaona (all-girl band)
Anacaona is the name of an all-girl orchestra, founded in 1930s Havana by Cuchito Castro and her sisters. Eventually, all 11 sisters joined the band. The band was formed during the Machado era when the political situation led to university closings, forcing Cuchito Castro to abandon her studies and...
in a couple of songs which were recorded in Venezuela in 1943.
With the establishment of television in Venezuela in the early 1950s, Naranjo hosted her own TV show at the now-defunct Televisa
Venevisión
Venevisión is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros...
from 1954-'55. At this time, she received contract offers from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, but chose to stick around Caracas and raised a family instead of pursuing an international artistic career. She put off potential success until finally becoming a major TV attraction while in her 40s, retiring in 1961 in the Renny Ottolina
Renny Ottolina
Renaldo José "Renny" Ottolina Pinto was a Venezuelan-born producer and entertainer. His mother died when he was two years old. At the age of six his father moved him to Caracas with his paternal grandmother, for he was going to Germany...
TV show. After that, she performed on a periodic, but not regular basis, at radio, universities and nostalgia shows until the early 1980s.
Most vocalists fade while in their 60s due to the physical difficulty of their own natural instrument, but Naranjo would find herself again as a singer when she was 77. Encouraged in 1993 by his son Alberto, she started making records and returned to television and concerts, and was still active until a few months before her death, in Caracas, at the age of 84.
Selected discography
As soloist- Los Cantos del CorazónLos Cantos del CorazónLos Cantos del Corazón is a 1995 album by Graciela Naranjo and Estelita Del Llano.-Track listing:# Presentación 0:21# Carrousel del Pasado 3:51...
(1995) - El LegadoEl Legado (Graciela Naranjo album)El Legado is a 1998 album by Graciela Naranjo and Rafa Galindo.-Track listing:# Canción de Amor 0:47# Ven 3:04...
(1998)
As guest
- Cosas del Alma - Delia (1993)
- Tu bolero soy yo - various interpreters (1998)
- Dulce y PicanteDulce y Picante-Track listing:-Personnel:*Alberto Naranjo - arranger, director, drums, timbales*Pablo Ortiz - piano*Jorge Del Pino - bass*Julio Flores, Jorge Rivera, Horacio Mogollón, Evencio Villamizar, Bautista Vivas Chacón - saxes...
- Alberto Naranjo (1998) - Cada piano con su tema - Ignacio Izcaray (2000)
See also
- Carrusel del Pasado - A tribute to Graciela Naranjo at YouTube.com
- List of famous or notable Venezuelans
External links
- La Señora Bolero (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) - Venezuela Analítica (Spanish)
- Biblioteca Babab (Spanish)
- Agustín Lara – Sus más distinguidos intérpretes (Spanish)
- The Dead Stars Club (obituary)