Global Pop & Folk Legends Codexery

Mercedes Sosa

Argentine folk singer and voice of the voiceless.

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Mercedes Sosa

Guaiquerí · CC BY-SA 4.0

She became a leading figure in the nuevo cancionero movement and was often called "the voice of the voiceless ones"[1]

Key facts and history

Sosa was of French, Spanish and Diaguita descent, and her nickname "la Negra" referenced her indigenous heritage.[2] A performance at the 1965 Cosquín National Folklore Festival brought her to national attention.[2] In the late 1960s she built her audience in Europe and Buenos Aires, becoming a much bigger star than her contemporaries.[3] She was barred from performing and moved to Paris and then Madrid.[4]

Sosa returned to Argentina in February 1982 and gave concerts at the Teatro Ópera in Buenos Aires.[5] She won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2011.[6] At fifteen years old in 1950, she emerged victorious from a singing competition, and her debut album, La voz de la zafra, came out in 1959.[2]

What the cited sources add

France 24 reports that Sosa was half indigenous Aymara and that she recorded her first album in the early 1960s with help from her husband.[7] The CNN report notes Sosa died at a Buenos Aires clinic and had suffered from liver, kidney and heart ailments.[8] The Fundación Mercedes Sosa biography states she was born in a humble home and became a member of the Movimiento del Nuevo Cancionero.[9] The same biography notes that during a military regime her songs could not be broadcast on Radio Nacional.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Heckman, "POP MUSIC : The Voice Heard Round the World : Mercedes Sosa, a compelling figure in world music and a social activist, will make a rare L.A. appearance.", Los Angeles Times, 29 October 1995 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa dies at 74", France 24, 4 October 2009; Bernstein, "Argentine folk singer who championed social justice", Los Angeles Times, 5 October 2009; Heckman, "POP MUSIC : The Voice Heard Round the World : Mercedes Sosa, a compelling figure in world music and a social activist, will make a rare L.A. appearance.", Los Angeles Times, 29 October 1995; Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America. Dir. Rodrigo H. Villa. First Run Features, 2013. Web.; "Mercedes Sosa: Obituary", The Daily Telegraph, 4 October 2009; "Me en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Karush, "Musicians in Transit: Argentina and the Globalization of Popular Music", Duke, 2017, p. 168 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies", BBC, 4 October 2009; "Mercedes Sosa: Obituary", The Daily Telegraph, 4 October 2009; Bernstein, "Argentine folk singer who championed social justice", Los Angeles Times, 5 October 2009; "Mercedes Sosa: Obituary", The Daily Telegraph, 4 October 2009; "Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies", BBC, 4 October 2009; Bernstein, "Argentine folk singer who championed social justice", Los Angeles Times, 5 October 2009 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lopez, "ARTISTAS EXILIADOS HAN REGRESADO A ARGENTINA", El Nuevo Herald, 18 January 1983, p. 8; "Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies", BBC, 4 October 2009 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Mercedes Sosa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2000)", Latin Grammys; "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2003)", Latin Grammys; "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2006)", Latin Grammys; "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2009)", Latin Grammys; "Latin Grammys: Ganadores – Años Anteriores (2011)", Latin Grammys (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "Legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa dies at 74", France 24, 4 October 2009. facts only, no text reused. france24.com
  8. Javier Doberti, "Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa, 'voice of Latin America,' dies at 74", CNN, 4 October 2009. facts only, no text reused. edition.cnn.com
  9. "Biografía", Fundación Mercedes Sosa. facts only, no text reused. mercedessosa.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mercedes Sosa (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Latin AmericaThe Daily Telegraph

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In which place was Mercedes Sosa born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.

2. In what year did Mercedes Sosa die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 2009.

From the source: “She died from multiple organ failure on 4 October 2009, at 5:15 am.”

3. In what year was Mercedes Sosa born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1935.

From the source: “Sosa was born on 9 July 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucumán, of mestizo ancestry.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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