Monna Bell
Encyclopedia
Monna Bell whose birth name was Nora Escobar, was a Chile
an singer who enjoyed a successful career in Spain, Mexico and other parts of Latin America. She was reportedly one of Juan Gabriel
's muses. Bell was born in Santiago, Chile
, in 1938. In the mid 1950s, she was barely in her teens when she won a talent contest held at Radio Mineria in Santiago and became a regular at the station's live broadcasts. Her voice caught the attention of band leader Roberto Inglez who, in 1956, hired her as a vocalist for his group and took her on a three week gig at New York's Waldorf Astoria. They went over so well that the band and its brand new singer stayed for a year. Next they toured Europe and in Madrid Monna had such a phenomenal reception that she decided to go solo becoming a big sensation at the Pasapoga, the city's most fashionable night club.
In 1959 she performed a jazzy novelty tune titled "Un Telegrama" at the First Song Festival held in Benidorm, a beach resort in Alicante, Spain. The song won all the top awards and became an international major hit when Monna recorded it for the Hispavox label. It was the first of many hits that made her a recording sensation both in Europe and Latin America. She toured the world and decided to settle down in Mexico where she branched out into films and married cinematographer Alex Phillips Jr. It was not an enduring marriage but it produced daughter Jennifer and son Alex III who is currently a rock musician.
In the late 1960s she continued recording highly successful albums for the Musart label and did a lot of television work in Mexico and abroad. In the 1970s she signed with Orfeon and her recordings began suffering due to mediocre material and backing, however she continued touring on the strength of her old hits. By the 1980s her career was over and she decided to retire. Signer-composer Juan Gabriel tried to remedy the situation by writing and producing Monna Bell Ahora, an album released in 1993 by Sony which went nowhere. Monna went back to retirement and in the 2000s moved next to her daughter in Tijuana, Baja California.
Diehard fans kept waiting for a successful return but their hopes where crushed when the singer died of cardiac arrest after a successful colon cancer surgery on April 21, 2008. After her death many of her old recordings were released in CD format and are the best witness of Monna Bell's greatness as one of the most creative Latin singers in history. Pedro Almodóvar
used one of Bell's songs, "Estaba Escrito", in his 1980 film, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (Pepi, Luci, Bom Y Otras Chicas Del Monton).
on April 22, 2008, in Tijuana, Mexico, at the age of 70.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an singer who enjoyed a successful career in Spain, Mexico and other parts of Latin America. She was reportedly one of Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez , better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel , is a Mexican singer and songwriter who is one of the most famous living representatives of the Mexican ranchera, ballad, mariachi, and pop music....
's muses. Bell was born in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, in 1938. In the mid 1950s, she was barely in her teens when she won a talent contest held at Radio Mineria in Santiago and became a regular at the station's live broadcasts. Her voice caught the attention of band leader Roberto Inglez who, in 1956, hired her as a vocalist for his group and took her on a three week gig at New York's Waldorf Astoria. They went over so well that the band and its brand new singer stayed for a year. Next they toured Europe and in Madrid Monna had such a phenomenal reception that she decided to go solo becoming a big sensation at the Pasapoga, the city's most fashionable night club.
In 1959 she performed a jazzy novelty tune titled "Un Telegrama" at the First Song Festival held in Benidorm, a beach resort in Alicante, Spain. The song won all the top awards and became an international major hit when Monna recorded it for the Hispavox label. It was the first of many hits that made her a recording sensation both in Europe and Latin America. She toured the world and decided to settle down in Mexico where she branched out into films and married cinematographer Alex Phillips Jr. It was not an enduring marriage but it produced daughter Jennifer and son Alex III who is currently a rock musician.
In the late 1960s she continued recording highly successful albums for the Musart label and did a lot of television work in Mexico and abroad. In the 1970s she signed with Orfeon and her recordings began suffering due to mediocre material and backing, however she continued touring on the strength of her old hits. By the 1980s her career was over and she decided to retire. Signer-composer Juan Gabriel tried to remedy the situation by writing and producing Monna Bell Ahora, an album released in 1993 by Sony which went nowhere. Monna went back to retirement and in the 2000s moved next to her daughter in Tijuana, Baja California.
Diehard fans kept waiting for a successful return but their hopes where crushed when the singer died of cardiac arrest after a successful colon cancer surgery on April 21, 2008. After her death many of her old recordings were released in CD format and are the best witness of Monna Bell's greatness as one of the most creative Latin singers in history. Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
used one of Bell's songs, "Estaba Escrito", in his 1980 film, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (Pepi, Luci, Bom Y Otras Chicas Del Monton).
Death
Monna Bell died of a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on April 22, 2008, in Tijuana, Mexico, at the age of 70.