Candita Batista (October 3, 1916 – April 1, 2016) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n singer, known internationally as an exponent of

Afro-Caribbean music Afro-Caribbean music is a broad term for music styles originating in the Caribbean from the African diaspora. These types of music usually have West African/Central African influence because of the presence and history of African people and their ...

. In the course of her career she travelled worldwide and appeared with

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

Lola Flores María Dolores "Lola" Flores Ruiz (; 21 January 1923 – 16 May 1995) was a Spanish actress, (flamenco dancer) and singer. Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Flores became interested in the performing arts at a very young age. Known for her overwhe ...

and other stars.

Career

She was born in

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

, and began her musical career in 1932, aged 16, becoming the first woman in the city to join a male band; in 1937, she moved to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, where she appeared at the Teatro Lirico. In 1948, she toured Latin America as part of a group, visiting Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Colombia. During this period she had to struggle against racism. In 1959 she toured Europe, appearing in front of King

Farouk of Egypt Farouk I (; ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936 and reigning until his ...

in a concert in Rome. She spent eleven years in Europe before returning to Cuba. She continued to sing professionally up to the age of 94. Towards the end of her career, she founded the Mokekeré Orchestra. She won numerous awards, including Hija Ilustre de la Provincia de Camagüey (Illustrious Daughter of the Province of Camagüey, the Alejo Carpentier Medal, and the Distinción por la Cultura Nacional. In 2011, she received a special award for lifetime achievement from the Association of Musicians of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). She died in hospital in her home town of Camagüey, aged 99. In 2003, she was the subject of a short documentary film, ''Candita Batista, la vedette negra de Cuba'' (26 minutes), made by Manuel Jorge Pérez
Candita Batista, la vedette negra de Cuba
'' in der ''Internet Movie Database,'' retrieved 13 May 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batista, Candita 1916 births 2016 deaths Cuban women singers People from Camagüey