La Lupe

Well known for her high level of camp and her energetic performances, La Lupe was one of the Spanish-language world's greatest performers. Born in Cuba to a poor family, La Lupe began her life as a schoolteacher in Havana at her father's request. However music was in her blood, and against his wishes she entered a singing competition on the radio where she won first place. Later she joined the singing group "Trio Los Tropicales" and made many successful club debuts throughout Havana. When La Lupe went solo, her performances at Havana's La Red night club caused quite a stir, an impact that leaked slowly to the rest of the island. Overnight La Lupe had become a source if wonderment, controversy and a national celebrity. Her first recordings, which included Spanish versions of Rock hits by Paul Anka and other American authors, as well as Cuban standards, made the hit parades of radio stations across the country. Her unique voice, combined with extravagant performance antics, made her a smash in the Cuban music scene. However, after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, La Lupe felt that she could no longer live in a country that did not accept her singing style, which was officially classified as anti-revolutionary. She left Cuba for Mexico in 1962, where she sought to relaunch her career, but was never accepted. Later she moved to New York, where she met fellow Cuban musician Mongo Santamaría. Both teamed up with to make the album make "Mongo Introduces La Lupe" in 1963. That album made her a star and later she joined the legendary musician Tito Puente to record four successful albums which confirmed and cemented her enormous popularity. Voted the best singer by the Latin press in 1965 & 1966, La Lupe went on to become one of the top two divas of salsa music (the other was Celia Cruz). It was during these years that she recorded some of her greatest songs, especially those written by Puerto Rican composer C. Curet Alonso, such as "La Tirana" and "Puro Teatro". In the 1970's La Lupe saw her career decline somewhat. First she was banned from television from Puerto Rico after she tore her clothes off during an awards ceremony on national television. Next, her record label, Tico Records, was purchased by Fania Records, and company executives decided to focus their energies on the less controversial Celia Cruz. Although she had several hits during that decade, she slowly faded into obscurity. In the 1980's, La Lupe, retired from the industry, found herself destitute. Her husband's medical bills, her large donations to the African-based religion of "Santeria", and her personal problems often left her and her family homeless. She became paralyzed following a domestic accident and was healed in a Pentecostal church. After this, she converted to Pentecostalism and recorded Christian oriented material in the late 80s. She continued her faith activities by funding a ministry she named La Lupe in Christ which allowed her to preach to Pentecostal communities until her death in 1992. La Lupe never saw the surge in her popularity after her death, especially after the legendary Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar chose her song, "Puro Teatro," to be the closing song of his Oscar nominated hit film, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". Fania re-released her recordings on their Tico labels during that decade, and many of her records went platinum throughout Spain and Latin America. Considered by many to be a combination of Bette Midler meets Judy Garland with a dash of Eartha Kitt, La Lupe's largest fan base is primarily the gay Latin community. Many drag performers imitate her and she is considered to be the Judy Garland of the Spanish-language world due to her torrid love affairs, heavy drug use, poor financial management and her bout with bipolar-ism. Doubtless, La Lupe is one of the most remarkable musical divas the world has ever known.