MIAMI, United States. – Recently the prestigious magazine rolling stones chose top 200 singers of all time. Among the Latin interpreters the lowest position is occupied by Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa.
But the list, which shows diversity, includes nine other singers of music in Spanish.
In addition to the prodigious Cuban singer, on the list of rolling stones The singers Héctor Lavoe (73), Selena (89), Vicente Fernández (95), La India (113), Rocío Durcal (139), Mercedes Sosa (160), Marc Anthony (167) and Juan Gabriel (172) appear. The Spanish Rosalía appears in position 200.
From Latin America, the Brazilian singers João Gilberto (81), Gal Costa (90) and Caetano Veloso (108) also appear.
About the Queen of Salsa, rolling stones He says: “You can hear much of Celia Cruz’s life story in her voice: her rich, inimitable tone captured the warmth and vibrancy of Havana, often evoking the call of street vendors and the power of the Afro-Cuban Santero songs of her childhood”.
“Although he rose to fame in Cuba, he became a star in New York City, showcasing his endless charisma and powerful vocal strength alongside the biggest salsa acts in history. No matter who she performed with, Cruz always shone radiantly with her magic tied to her ability to make people feel: she could capture nostalgia and longing, or she could utter a cry of ‘Sugar!’ and to embody her exuberance for life that continues to make her one of the most transcendent singers of all time”, concludes the specialized music magazine.
Here we share some notes from rolling stones over the rest of the Hispanic American musicians included in his list.
Hector Lavoe (73): Salsa was never the same again after Puerto Rican singer Héctor Lavoe left his native Ponce for New York in 1963 at age 16. (…) Lavoe was the rock star of salsa itself: tragic, charismatic, suicidal.
Selena (89): Selena became a cross-cultural megastar with the family band Selena y Los Dinos. Her raucous vibrato and impressive driving power shaped cumbia hits that defined generations of Tejano music. Though her life was sadly cut short, her music hasn’t lost any staying power: she continues to top the charts decades after her death.
Vicente Fernandez (95): Vicente Fernández’s unmistakable tenor, his intense vibrato and his hard-to-miss charro outfits earned him the title of “The Idol of Mexico.” (…) Today his music continues to stand the test of time and has been compared to Frank Sinatra.
India (113): Linda Caballero, aka La India, is known for the way she unleashes her voice over intricate salsa arrangements (…). Although she has shown her versatility in all styles of music, her vocal prowess is most effective on unapologetically salsa hits like “Mi Mayor Venganza” and “Ese Hombre,” where she uses her impressive chops to give women some of the most Enduring Spanish-language hymns of empowerment and independence.
Rocio Durcal (139): Rocío Dúrcal is considered “The most Mexican Spanish”. Her soulful renditions of rancheras, mariachi arrangements, and leona’s theatricality during her performances made Dúrcal one of the most beloved female artists in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s.
Mercedes Sosa (160): Mercedes Sosa embodied the soulful idealism of left-wing politics, which she expressed as a leader of the new song movement through a rich repertoire filtered through folk songs and militant protest. Her delicate vocalization —very tender, but also anchored in an incorruptible courage— turned Violeta Parra’s ode to life “Gracias a la vida” into an intimate hymn.
Mark Anthony (167): It was “Vivir lo nuestro,” a fiery 1994 duet with La India, which heralded Nuyorican sonero Marc Anthony as the symbol of the fin-de-siècle renaissance of salsa. (…) He moved into the pop mainstream in 1999, but remained stubbornly faithful to his salsa roots. (…) The title track from his 2022 album, “Pa’llá voy”, confirms him as one of the most distinctive and expressive vocalists on the Afro-Caribbean spectrum.
Rosalia (200): When Rosalía sings, it feels like she’s pulling decades of history out of her throat and resurrecting them on air. Her vocal tone, whose intuitive melismas and rhythmic accents were built from a flamenco formation of more than a decade, has a crystalline nature that in turn awakens deep emotions in the hearts of listeners.
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