Minerva Herrera (February 26, 1929 – July 11, 2016) was a popular Cuban folk singer, who performed as part of the duo Martín y Minerva. She is perhaps best known as the mother of Albita, the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winning

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

singer, producer and composer. Under the name of Mima, she appeared on a popular segment of her daughter's show, ''La descarga con Albita''.

Biography

As a youngster, Herrera showed an affinity for ''decima campesina'', a type of Cuban folk song. Later she would publish four books on the musical genre. With Martín Rodríguez she formed the music duo Martín y Minerva. In 1952, her partner became her second husband. The team rose to prominence on ''Palmas y Cañas'', a Cuban television program. The couple had two children together, Angel Miguel and Albita. She also has two children from a previous marriage. Her daughter, Albita is a popular recording artist. In 2010, Minerva began appearing on her daughter's television show, ''La descarga con Albita,'' which airs on Mega TV. Minerva was featured on "Mima's Counsels," a popular segment of the show. Herrera died of a heart attack in her Miami home on Monday, July 11, 2016.

References

1929 births 2016 deaths Cuban exiles Cuban women singers American women singers Singers from Miami 21st-century American women {{Cuba-musician-stub