Rocío Dúrcal

Rocío Dúrcal
Dúrcal in 1964
Born	María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (1944-10-03)3 October 1944 Madrid, Spain
Died	25 March 2006(2006-03-25) (aged 61) Madrid, Spain
Resting place	Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
Other names	la Diva de Divas[1] la Española más Mexicana[2] la Novia de la Juventud[citation needed] la Reina de las Rancheras[3] la Señora de la Canción[citation needed] Marieta[4]
Occupations	Singer actress
Spouse	Antonio Morales Barreto ​ ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	3, including Shaila Dúrcal
Musical career
Genres	Canción melódica ranchera
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1959–2006
Labels	Ariola Records BMG Music Sony BMG Sony Music
Musical artist
Signature

María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known as Rocío Dúrcal (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈθi.o ˈðuɾkal]), was a Spanish singer and actress with a career spanning more than four decades. She performed pop music, bolero, mariachi and romantic ballads and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish singers of all time. Popular across Mexico and Latin America, she earned the sobriquet of Reina de las Rancheras ("Queen of Rancheras").^[5]

In 1999, Rocío Dúrcal was inducted into the Hall of Fame for her versatility and anthemic songs.[1] In 2005, Dúrcal received a Latin Grammy Award for musical excellence, a prize that is awarded by the Governing Board of the Recording Latin Academy to artists who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance during their careers.^[6] Also in 2005 Rocío received the Life Achievement Award at the Spain's Music Awards, organized by The Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, SGAE).[2] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Dúrcal at number 139 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.^[7]

Dúrcal began her artistic career by participating in various radio song festivals and competitions, secretly supported by her paternal grandfather, who always believed in her talent and became her first fan.^[8] In 1959, with the approval of her parents, she participated in the television program Primer Aplauso, broadcast by Televisión Española. The theme that she chose for the contest was the traditional song "La sombra vendo". Luis Sanz, a Madrid manager who watched the show, was impressed by her talent and personality. Sanz contacted the program for the name and the address of the young contestant.^[9] Her stage name Rocío came from what Dúrcal said was a nickname her grandfather gave her because she reminded him of morning dew (rocío matutino). For her stage surname, she and Sanz looked at a map of Spain on which she randomly pointed out the town of Dúrcal, in the province of Granada.

Her first film was Canción de Juventud (1962) directed by Luis Lucia. The plot of the film portrayed a teenager with her own personality. The movie scored huge box office and critics success. This success was repeated in other Spanish-speaking countries where the movie was shown. Immediately Dúrcal became the star of Rocío de La Mancha. Following this, she got her first record deal with transnational Phonogram (now Universal Music). The songs the artist played in both films served to make her first album, Las películas de Rocío Dúrcal (1962).

In Dúrcal's third film, Tengo 17 años (1964), she put aside her role of "child star". That same year, she appeared in her first theater play, Un domingo en Nueva York, in which she was revealed as a great theatrical actress. In 1965 she filmed Más bonita que ninguna; the band Los Brincos wrote some songs for the movie. In 1966, she shared the spotlight with Enrique Guzmán in the film Acompáñame. She began to perform duets with such singers as Jaime Morey and Amalia de Isaura. Then she co-starred in the film Amor en el Aire (1967) with the then young Argentine singer-songwriter Palito Ortega. In 1968 she filmed Cristina Guzmán, the first of her films that was aimed at an audience over 18.^[10]

Her last film was with Bárbara Rey in Me Siento Extraña in 1977.

In 1970, Dúrcal married Filipino-born musician Antonio Morales (known professionally as Júnior), who would manage her singing career. In 1970, Antonio Morales began a series of television shows in Spain and Latin America singing with his wife as a duet. Their first child, Spanish actress Carmen Morales de las Heras, was born in December 1970. After the birth of their second child, Antonio Morales de las Heras, in April 1974, Morales decided to give up his career to devote time to their children. Dúrcal meanwhile continued her film and singing career. In 1979 she had her third child, Shaila Morales de las Heras, who took up a singing career under the stage name of Shaila Dúrcal and is also a successful singer.^[11]

In 1977, Dúrcal signed a contract with Ariola Eurodisc (with singer-songwriter Camilo Sesto supporting her in her projects) dedicating herself to the musical career. That year, while in Mexico, she met the Mexican singer-songwriter Alberto Aguilera Valadez, better known as Juan Gabriel, who decided to record a whole album of rancheras performed by Rocío Dúrcal entitled Rocío Dúrcal canta a Juan Gabriel. Without further advertising, the LP received high levels of sales, so Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel considered the possibility of a new recording together. They ended up doing 5 LPs, marking the revival of Rocío Dúrcal as a singer. The final collaboration between Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel emerged in 10 albums. Dúrcal's album named Canta A Juan Gabriel Volumen 6 (1984) is among the top ten best-selling albums in the history of Mexico. For this album Rocío Dúrcal received her first Grammy Award nomination.

The collaboration of Dúrcal with Juan Gabriel was interrupted by disagreements between the artists and because of problems of Juan Gabriel with his record label, so Dúrcal continued to record albums with other songwriters such as Marco Antonio Solís and Rafael Pérez Botija (who produced for her, and wrote most of the songs for, the ballads album, Confidencias). In 1988 she recorded the album Como Tu Mujer with producer Marco Antonio Solis.

In 1990, she recorded her first album on CD format entitled Si te pudiera mentir. In 1991, Durcal offered a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, recorded in a double disc El Concierto... En Vivo. Between 1992 and 1993 she recorded the album Desaires, produced by the Mexican singer and songwriter Joan Sebastián. In this album she reprises ranchera.^[13]

In 1995, she launched her production Hay Amores Y Amores, with songs written and produced by the Argentine Roberto Livi. For this album she was nominated again to the Grammy Awards in the category "Best Latin Pop Album". In 1997 the double album Juntos Otra Vez brought Rocío Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel together again for the last time. That album was made by an engagement with the record company and not by the desire of both artists to continue to cooperate.

In 1998, under the direction of her discoverer Luis Sanz, Dúrcal starred in the Spanish TV show Los negocios de mamá, broadcast by Televisión Española. In 2000, she celebrated 40 years in the industry. In that year she returned to ranchera music with the album Caricias, under the production of songwriter and producer Bebu Silvetti. In 2001 Rocío Dúrcal recorded Entre Tangos Y Mariachi, again produced by Bebu Silvetti, an album that includes 10 of the most famous Argentine tango arrangements interpreted with ranchero/bolero style like her previous album. In the summer of 2001 Dúrcal made a successful tour in Spain, 13 years after her last Spanish performance.

After a year and a half absence, she returned to the stage on 19 September 2002 with a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico, which was recorded in a double album that was released on CD and then on DVD on 22 October 2002, En Concierto... Inolvidable. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. In 2003, the artist received another Latin Grammy Award nomination for her album Caramelito, produced by Kike Santander. In May 2004 she returned to Spain to record what would be her last album, Alma Ranchera, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award.^[14]

In 2001, after recording her album Entre Tangos y Mariachi, Dúrcal was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Dúrcal canceled her tours while undergoing medical treatment, and resumed touring in 2002. In 2003, from Spain, she collaborated with the Mexican singer Julio Preciado for a duet in the song "Si nos dejan" included in his album Que me siga la tambora.^[15]

Rocío Dúrcal died on 25 March 2006 at the age of 61 from uterine cancer at her home in Torrelodones, Madrid.^[16] She was cremated and a portion of her ashes were scattered in Spain while the remainder of her ashes were deposited into a crypt at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City,^[17][18] the same place where years later a portion of the ashes from her husband Antonio Morales who died in 2014, were also deposited next to her.

• List of best-selling Latin music artists

• Rocío Dúrcal at IMDb
• Rocío Dúrcal on YouTube
• Rocío Dúrcal on Grammy Awards