Carmita Jiménez
Encyclopedia
Carmita Jiménez was a Puerto Rican
singer who was considered a diva
in Puerto Rico
. She was born in San Lorenzo
.
Carmita Jimenez started her singing career at the young age of six, on the radio
show named El Abuelito Welch (Grandpa Welch) with another legendary Puerto Rican show business legend, Jose Miguel Agrelot
. This show, as its name suggested, was sponsored by the Welch's
grape juice brand.
At 15, Jimenez performed the Habanera from Bizet
's opera
Carmen.
Soon after, she joined popular music groups like the Moncho Usera orchestra, and then she released her first album, which contained the hit Tierra Rica (Rich Earth).
During the 1960s, Jimenez became a popular fixture on Puerto Rico's television
and enjoyed great renown. She decided then that it was time to internationalize her career and moved to Peru
to promote herself in South America
. Her stay in Peru, which lasted until 1968, made her very popular among the citizens of that country too. There she gave birth to her only daughter, María Nahíma, who as her mother, began singing professionally since a child. Carmita kept on releasing albums and scoring more hits.
After she returned to Puerto Rico in 1968, she landed her own section on WAPA-TV
's popular lunch-time show El Show Del Mediodia.
During the 1970s, Carmita became a part of the Disco Music movement in her country, and had the number one hit La Generacion De Hoy (Today's Generation), produced by Alfred D. Herger
, which was followed by La Vida En Rosa (Life In Pink), a song which was later a hit in English
too, Grace Jones
performing the English version.
Jimenez began bringing down her yearly number of appearances since 1985, becoming a more private person. On September 1990 she debuted as a stage actress in the San Juan premiere production of Rodolfo Santana's "Baño de Damas," with an all-star cast that included Gladys Rodriuez, Giselle Blondet, Marisol Calero, and Johanna Rosaly. On February 1991 she returned to the stage as Sister Mary Hubert (Sor María José) in the San Juan premiere production of Dan Goggins' musical comedy "Sor-Presas" (Nunsense). Both productions played at the historic Tapia Theater in Old San Juan. In 1994, she participated in a concert named Algo Mas Que Una Cantante (More Than Just a Singer) at San Juan
's Centro de Bellas Artes, a concert which reunited many international singing super-stars.
As it turned out, there was a reason for her winding down the number of public appearances each year: In 2002, she announced during an interview with Vea
that she had been diagnosed with cancer
in 1985. The fact is that the cancer she had for almost 20 years had spread into bone metastasis and she battled it as a very courageous woman. She lived 4 more years in which she tried several cures, including a 4 month-visit to a private clinic in Switzerland with her daughter, singer and lyricist Maria Nahima. Carmita died at her home in Caguas, Puerto Rico
after succumbing to her illness.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
singer who was considered a diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. She was born in San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
San Lorenzo is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras. San Lorenzo is spread over ten wards and San Lorenzo Pueblo...
.
Carmita Jimenez started her singing career at the young age of six, on the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
show named El Abuelito Welch (Grandpa Welch) with another legendary Puerto Rican show business legend, Jose Miguel Agrelot
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
. This show, as its name suggested, was sponsored by the Welch's
Welch's
Welch Foods Inc. is an American company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts. It is owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association, a co-op of grape growers....
grape juice brand.
At 15, Jimenez performed the Habanera from Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Carmen.
Soon after, she joined popular music groups like the Moncho Usera orchestra, and then she released her first album, which contained the hit Tierra Rica (Rich Earth).
During the 1960s, Jimenez became a popular fixture on Puerto Rico's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and enjoyed great renown. She decided then that it was time to internationalize her career and moved to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to promote herself in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Her stay in Peru, which lasted until 1968, made her very popular among the citizens of that country too. There she gave birth to her only daughter, María Nahíma, who as her mother, began singing professionally since a child. Carmita kept on releasing albums and scoring more hits.
After she returned to Puerto Rico in 1968, she landed her own section on WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....
's popular lunch-time show El Show Del Mediodia.
During the 1970s, Carmita became a part of the Disco Music movement in her country, and had the number one hit La Generacion De Hoy (Today's Generation), produced by Alfred D. Herger
Alfred D. Herger
Alfredo Domingo Herger is a famous former Puerto Rican television show host and a psychologist. He has been labeled the Ed Sullivan of Puerto Rico in local media, due to his strong influence in Puerto Rican pop culture and his success as a television presenter.-Early life:Herger, of Spanish and...
, which was followed by La Vida En Rosa (Life In Pink), a song which was later a hit in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
too, Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
performing the English version.
Jimenez began bringing down her yearly number of appearances since 1985, becoming a more private person. On September 1990 she debuted as a stage actress in the San Juan premiere production of Rodolfo Santana's "Baño de Damas," with an all-star cast that included Gladys Rodriuez, Giselle Blondet, Marisol Calero, and Johanna Rosaly. On February 1991 she returned to the stage as Sister Mary Hubert (Sor María José) in the San Juan premiere production of Dan Goggins' musical comedy "Sor-Presas" (Nunsense). Both productions played at the historic Tapia Theater in Old San Juan. In 1994, she participated in a concert named Algo Mas Que Una Cantante (More Than Just a Singer) at San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
's Centro de Bellas Artes, a concert which reunited many international singing super-stars.
As it turned out, there was a reason for her winding down the number of public appearances each year: In 2002, she announced during an interview with Vea
Vea
Vea is a Puerto Rican gossip magazine that has been published weekly since 1968.As a periodical that reports on the lives and activities of many of the island's entertainment, sports, and political personalities, the magazine is no stranger to controversy...
that she had been diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1985. The fact is that the cancer she had for almost 20 years had spread into bone metastasis and she battled it as a very courageous woman. She lived 4 more years in which she tried several cures, including a 4 month-visit to a private clinic in Switzerland with her daughter, singer and lyricist Maria Nahima. Carmita died at her home in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
after succumbing to her illness.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans