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LAURA
CANALES: first massively popular female singer in the modern
Tejano age; dead at 50, on Selena's birthday
By
RAMIRO BURR, Special to La Prensa
SAN ANTONIO TX: Although she was predated by pioneers Chelo
Silva and Lydia Mendoza, Laura Canales was the first massively
popular female singer in the macho world of Tejano music.
Before
Selena, Canales was recognized as the "Reina de la Onda
Tejana ("Queen of Tejano music"). She was inducted into
several halls of fame, including the Alice-based Tejano ROOTS
organization (in 2000).
Canales
died Saturday night (April 16) from complications, including
pneumonia, after gall bladder surgery in a Corpus Christi
hospital. She was 50.
Songwriter
Luis Silva said fans today don't realize how big Canales was in
her day.
"Laura was as big as anyone could possibly be in the Tejano
market of the '80s. She was it. And no matter how big she was, I
remember she was always kind to everyone"
Born
Aug. 19, 1954, in Kingsville, TX, Canales was inspired to get into
music by her high school choral director Millicent Wiley. She made
her recording debut in 1973 with Los Unicos, and then joined the
seminal group El Conjunto Bernal for a short stint. Her first
regional hit came with a cover of "Midnight Blue," which
she performed with Snowball & Co. That debut album, released
in 1977, landed in the Top 10 of Billboard's Latin album charts.
In 1981, she married drummer Balde Muñoz and formed Laura Canales
and Encanto. Their debut CD, "Si Vivi Contigo" produced
her first major hit, the title track. Written by veteran San
Antonio songwriter and producer Luis Silva, it vaulted Canales to
the upper echelon of the Tejano market.
"Laura
will best be known for delivering a balanced, yet soul punch to
her polkas, rancheras, and ballads," said graphic
designer/former Latin Breed singer Ruben Cubillos, who worked with
Canales. "In many ways she was like one of the boys-colorful,
outspoken, and daring. Her distinctive vocal style-full and
smooth-flavored every rhythm with drama, silk, and venom, whatever
the songs called for," remembered Silva.
Part
of Canales' immense popularity derived from her distinctive
voice-rich, supple, and emotive. She had a little girl quality
that fused innocence with exuberance and she could easily and
convincingly convey the anger of betrayal or the fear of
loneliness in her songs.
From 1983 to 1987, Canales won both the female entertainer and
female vocalist honors at the Tejano Music Awards, a record that
stood until Selena eclipsed it in the mid-'90s.
"We're
all very saddened by the loss of Laura Canales. It is a very
unusual situation with the recent anniversary of the passing of
Selena, and now we lose the great pioneer Laura Canales,"
said Robert Arellano, president of the Tejano Music Awards.
"Laura
was very instrumental during Tejano's rise in the late '80s. She
was the leading female and she held her own among the male
artists. We'll always remember her as a great singer and a great
personality," said Arellano.
The
images of Canales from her '80s heyday always showed her
impeccably dressed, her hair perfectly coifed and flashing a
thousand-watt smile.
In
1989, Canales quit Encanto over management differences and went
into semi-retirement before signing with the upstart label EMI
Latin and later Fonovisa. In1990, her CD "No Regret"
remained on the Billboard regional Mexican charts for 13 weeks.
Her subsequent Tejano hits included "Cuatro Caminos,"
"Dame La Mano" and "Dile a Tu Esposa."
Noted
producer Gilbert Velásquez, who worked with Canales on more than
a dozen albums at Amen Studios and also at Velásquez Music
studios, said that "despite her years of experience, Canales
still got nervous during the recording sessions."
"She
always had a little chihuahua named Chi Chi Bell, that she always
had with her that helped her calm down," Velásquez said.
"What we remember most was that she was always giggly, always
bubbly. She was a friend to everybody who came into the studio,
despite the celebrity status she had."
Publicist
Ramón Hernández said Canales was able to succeed in the
male-dominated Tejano world because "of her persistence and
tenacity coupled with a 'can-do' attitude.
"She never let anyone or anything get to her, and if she saw
you looking depressed, she would say, 'Build a bridge and get over
it.' And that is exactly what she did."
Rosary
services are during this week with funeral services scheduled
10:00 a.m. Thursday in Kingsville at the Kingsville's Memorial
Funeral Home.
For
more information on Canales go to: www.tejanorootshalloffame.org.
or rburr@express-news.net. |
