Mercedes Sosa
Haydée Mercedes Sosa (Latin American Spanish: [meɾˈseðes ˈsosa]; 9 July 1935[1] – 4 October 2009), sometimes known as La Negra (lit. 'The Black', an affectionate nickname for people with a darker complexion in Argentina), was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout Latin America and many countries outside the region. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of El nuevo cancionero. She gave voice to songs written by many Latin American songwriters. Her music made people hail her as the "voice of the voiceless ones".[2] She was often called "the conscience of Latin America.[3]
Not to be confused with Mercedes Sola.
Mercedes Sosa
Sosa performed in venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Théâtre Mogador in Paris, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, as well as sold-out shows in New York's Carnegie Hall and the Roman Colosseum during her final decade of life. Her career spanned four decades and she was the recipient of six Latin Grammy awards (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011), including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and two posthumous Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2009 and 2011. She won the Premio Gardel in 2000, the main musical award in Argentina. She served as an ambassador for UNICEF.
Awards[edit]
Sosa won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 (Misa Criolla),[17] 2003 (Acústico),[18] 2006 (Corazón Libre),[19] 2009 (Cantora 1, which also won Best Recording Package and was nominated for Album of the Year),[20] and 2011 (Deja La Vida Volar),[21] as well as several international awards.
In 1995, Konex Foundation from Argentina granted her the Diamond Konex Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Argentina, as the most important personality in the popular music of her country in the last decade.[22]
Tributes[edit]
In 2019, Sosa was celebrated by a Google Doodle. The doodle was showcased in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Iceland, Sweden, Serbia, Greece, Israel and Vietnam.[29]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Sosa at number 160 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[30]