Lucha Reyes (singer, 1936)

Lucila J. Sarsines Reyes (born July 19, 1936 in Lima ; † October 31, 1973 ibid) was one of the most famous Peruvian singers of her time, one of the most famous Afro-Peruvian personalities, and a symbol of Peruvian nationalism both in Peru itself and in the Peruvian emigration.

biography

Lucha Reyes was born into a poor family in the Peruvian capital Lima as one of sixteen siblings. When she was six months old, her father Tobias Sarsines died. Lucha Reyes was temporarily raised by relatives of her parents. As a child, she sold newspapers and lottery tickets to survive. At times she lived in a Catholic church because the house in which she lived had burned down.

As a child, Reyes often sang at family gatherings. At one of these celebrations she met Pitito Perez , who was a well-known singer in Peru. Perez liked her voice and invited her to form a duo together called "Lucha y Juan" .

The duo gave Reyes the opportunity to appear on national radio shows. The first radio show in which she appeared was called "El Sentir de los Barrios", in German about: "How people feel in the barrios". She sang the well-known song "Abandonada" by Sixto Carrera, a song with lyrics that probably also reflect her own experiences on the streets of Lima.

Lucha Reyes lived a life similar to that in her mostly tragic songs. She briefly married a police officer and refused all her life to reveal the reason for their short marriage. She was later diagnosed with tuberculosis and diabetes .

Your art

Reyes has appeared in plays in the Lima area from time to time and eventually starred in the film Una Carta al Cielo (A Letter to Heaven) by Salvador Oda, which is about a boy whose dead mother speaks to him. Reyes gave her voice to this dead mother.

This gig convinced Reyes that she had a future in acting too. She then appeared in various plays. Her Afro-Peruvian and Creole music was promoted by the nationalist military government of the time.

In 1970 Reyes recorded her biggest hit "Regresa" (Come again), which also became an international hit. After this success she recorded her first LP and began her only international tour.

Your last days

Her diabetes got so worse that she eventually went blind. Portrayed as an idol in public, she probably wanted to end her existence with a public appearance. Lucha Reyes had the composer Pedro Pacheco write the lyrics Mi Ultima Cancion ("My last song"). On October 30, 1973, the day before her death, she sang Mi Ultima Cancion live on a well-known local Lima radio station. One day later, on October 31, 1973, Lucha Reyes, also known as La Morena de Oro del Perú ("The Golden Colored Woman"), died. She is buried in Lima.

aftermath

October 31st is celebrated in Peru today as "Day of the Creole Song" (Día de la Canción Criolla). Their extraordinary fame, especially among the indigenous population of Peru, is expressed in the statement "Anyone who does not know Lucha Reyes is not a Peruvian".