Samy y Sandra Sandoval
Encyclopedia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
style music Music of Panama
Music of Panama
Panama is a Central American country, inhabited mostly by mestizos . The music of Panama was influenced first by the indigenous populations of Kunas, Teribes, Nobe Bugle and others, and then by the black population who were brought over, first as slaves from Africa, and also Colombia between the...
. They are also known as "Patrones de la Cumbia" (Masters of the Cumbia). and are immensely popular in Panamanian pop culture.
Early years and rise
Samy was born on 15 February 1968 and Sandra was born on 10 April 1970 They were born to Luis and Dolores Sandoval in Monagrillo, in the Herrera ProvinceHerrera Province
Herrera is a province in Panama. Named after General Tomás Herrera, the province was founded on January 18, 1915 after a division of the Los Santos province. The capital city of Herrera is Chitré, which is located near the province's coastline...
of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. At age eight, Samy began to play the accordion, and after listening to songs at home, Sandra began singing. When Samy was eleven, and Sandra just nine, the two began performing on stages in their native Herrera Province
Herrera Province
Herrera is a province in Panama. Named after General Tomás Herrera, the province was founded on January 18, 1915 after a division of the Los Santos province. The capital city of Herrera is Chitré, which is located near the province's coastline...
. They began slowly acquiring popularity in other Panamanian provinces such as Coclé, Chiriquí
Chiriquí Province
Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...
, Veraguas and Los Santos
Los Santos Province
Los Santos is a province of Panama. The capital city is Las Tablas, which is famous for its carnivals, the Festival Nacional de la Pollera , and the Festival of the Patron Santa Librada; and the Festival Nacional de la Mejorana in Guararé...
. By age eleven, Samy entered and won many music and talent contests, though found it difficult to gain popularity due to the limited number of fans of típica
Tipica
TIPICA, Boletín Electrónico de Salud Escolar is Colombian psychological journal for peer-review publication. It focuses on educational psychology and related issues. The current editor is the Colombian psychologist Henrry Sanchez....
music. The duo then made several appearances on channels such as RTVE, Channel 11, in order to reach a larger fan base. At age fifteen, Samy and Sandra, age thirteen, began to travel with their band, "Ritmo Montañero". They soon became very popular with young, middle class audiences; their popularity grew to the point of surpassing many other típica stars. Their rise in popularity was deemed an artistic evolution and so influential in gaining a fan base, that Samy and Sandra Sandoval are often credited as having been the first to expose the general public to musica típica, pindin or typical folk music of Panama
Music of Panama
Panama is a Central American country, inhabited mostly by mestizos . The music of Panama was influenced first by the indigenous populations of Kunas, Teribes, Nobe Bugle and others, and then by the black population who were brought over, first as slaves from Africa, and also Colombia between the...
. Critics said the duo was comparable only to that of the legendaries: Victorio Vergara Batista, Dorindo Cardenas, Osvaldo Ayala, Toby Munoz, Ying Carrizo, Ulpiano Vergara, Alfredo Escudero and many others who have contributed and paved the way of this genre of music. What took these típica and cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
Artists years to achieve with lengthy efforts in marketing and skilled timing, in capturing general audiences, took the Sandoval duo only three years, to dominate the same audiences, while gaining and reaching a much larger audience base. Their rise in popularity was attributed to Sandra's voice, her sensual dance movements, her enthusiasm in inviting audiences to participate while performing live, as well as, Samy's skill in playing the accordion.
Musical hits
Their many hits include Brindemos por lo nuestro (Toast to Ourselves), La mujer superficial (Superficial Woman), La gallina fina (The Fine Chicken), written by Cristian Garcia, Oiga el viejo pa´ jodé and Lo que no da se deja (What is left, doesn't Give). In 1994, at the Festival "Encuentro de Acordeones" they were a huge hit with the song La Gallina Fina, which they also performed in the movie The Tailor of PanamaThe Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama is a 2001 American film based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, which was inspired by Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana...
in 2001. Their more recent hits include, "La Raspadura" (The Scrape); they have also released 15 albums, sold more than 30,000 records and have a platinum album. They also recorded a duet with Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
who considered some of the best performers of the genre típica
Tipica
TIPICA, Boletín Electrónico de Salud Escolar is Colombian psychological journal for peer-review publication. It focuses on educational psychology and related issues. The current editor is the Colombian psychologist Henrry Sanchez....
Panamanian. They have also starred in their own music videos (which can be viewed on weekends, at night on musical channel Mas 23 (a.k.a. +23). One of their major concerts was Evolucion, where Sandra had said "típica
Tipica
TIPICA, Boletín Electrónico de Salud Escolar is Colombian psychological journal for peer-review publication. It focuses on educational psychology and related issues. The current editor is the Colombian psychologist Henrry Sanchez....
music has finally come of age." This concert has been released as a CD and as a DVD.
Other contributions
They made countless guest appearances on national networks, and their life stories have been the topic and report of television shows such as Los compadres, Aires de mi tierra, Hecho en Panamá and De Mujeres. They also had a small regular role in a television comedy called Los Vergaras. Recently, they have appeared on the program, Sábado Gigante, sindicated by UnivisiónUnivision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
television, and in el Festival de la Calle 8 Sandra's influence in Panamanian culture has left a mark, as well. A favourite phrase of Sandra's "No hay mujer fea, sino mujer sin plata” (There are no ugly women, only women without money) is now an ever popular phrase amongst many Panamanians. For Las fiestas del rey Momo a festival celebrated for four consecutive days before Ash Wednesday throughout Panama, Samy and Sandra normally make multiple appearances, on the same day, throughout Panama. They are indispensable Entertainers during annual Carnivals and Panama's annual Teletón. They have performed throughout the U.S.A., Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and gained noticeable attention in Western Europe with their concerts in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands, performing to audiences of more than 70,000 in attendance. They also had the honour of performing for the late prince of Monaco before his death. They have also released a book titled Samy and Sandra, the Story written by Sergio Pérez Saavedra, and a DVD by the same title. It was so well received by fans that a special fanclub was created based on both the book and DVD Samy and Sandra, the Story. They appear in the movie The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama is a 2001 American film based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, which was inspired by Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana...
, while performing the hit "La gallina fina". The movie helped to give Samy and Sandra, and the song, "La gallina fina", wider recognition in English speaking audiences.