1. Guadalupe Victoria Yoli Raymond, better known as La Lupe, was a Cuban singer of boleros, guarachas and Latin soul known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances.
15 Facts About La Lupe
1. 2.
La Lupe retired in the 1980s due to religious reasons.
3.
La Lupe was born in the barrio of San Pedrito in Santiago de Cuba.
4.
La Lupe's father was a worker at the local Bacardi distillery and a major influence on her early life.
5.
La Lupe admired Celia Cruz and like her, she graduated from teaching instruction before starting her professional singing career.
6.
La Lupe married in 1958 and formed a musical trio with her husband Eulogio "Yoyo" Reyes and another female singer.
7.
La Lupe began to perform her own act at a small nightclub in Havana, La Red, which had a clientele of distinguished foreigners.
8.
La Lupe acquired a devoted following, which included Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Marlon Brando.
9.
La Lupe recorded her first album, Con el diablo en el cuerpo, in 1960 for Discuba, the Cuban subsidiary of RCA Victor.
10.
La Lupe approached Celia Cruz and asked for her support to get work, and in turn, Celia recommended her to Mongo Santamaria in New York.
11.
In New York City, La Lupe performed at a cabaret named La Berraca and started a new career, making more than 10 records in five years.
12.
La Lupe married a second time, to salsa musician Willie Garcia, with whom she had a son.
13.
La Lupe was part of the cast of Two Gentleman of Verona with Raul Julia at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park which moved to Broadway in December 1971.
14.
La Lupe retired in 1980, and found herself destitute by the early 1980s.
15.
La Lupe died of a heart attack in 1992, age 52, and is buried in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.