Gloria González (composer)
Encyclopedia
Gloria González is a Puerto Rican
composer with an extensive repertoire of pop and salsa songs.
.
She studied her elementary grades at Manuel Padre Rufo School, located in Del Parque Street, Stop 23 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Her secondary studies were done at República Del Perú Jr. High in Loiza Street, also in Santurce
. In 1958, she moved with her father to New York City, where she attended P.S. 71 on Avenue B in Manhattan
.
Gloria returned to Puerto Rico and got married. She gave birth to a girl, named Catherine Ivonne and later adopted another girl, named María de los Ángeles.
In 1967 she decided to continue her studies and graduated from Ramírez College as a Paralegal
Secretary. After she divorced her first husband, she re-marries a second time with Juan Rodríguez and had a son named Carlos Javier. During 1970 she started working with the Justice Department, but due to a back injury, in 1983 she decided to retire. It is during this period that González becomes interested in popular music
and decides to study at the Music Conservatory; entirely dedicating herself to the composition of musical themes.
genre, among the renowned artists who have interpreted of her romantic line of songs, are Marco Antonio Muñiz
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
, El Gran Combo
, Tony Vega
, Frankie Ruiz
, Bobby Valentín
, Andy Montañez
, Carmita Jiménez
, Nano Cabrera
, Los Hispanos, Cheo Feliciano
, and many others.
One of her most famous song "Así Es Mi Tierra", was performed by the septet Sol y Canto and accompanied by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
on February 28, 2004.
, Broadway Awards (1988), Paoli
Award, awards from the municipalities
of Carolina
and Arecibo
(4/8/2002), as well as recognitions in theaters, TV shows in Puerto Rico, Venezuela
, Chile
, and New York
.
In June [1991], she was honored with the dedication of the annually National Day of Salsa)., currently celebrated on the third Sunday in the month of March in Puerto Rico. Bobby Valentín
was also honored that day.
where she currently lives. In 2007, she was honored at the "Asociación Borinqueña" of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida
for her career as a composer.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
composer with an extensive repertoire of pop and salsa songs.
Early years
Gloria González, born April 6, 1944, at Antonsanti Street, Stop 22 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She is the only daughter of Jorge González and Blanca Pérez, both from the town of Arecibo, Puerto RicoArecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
.
She studied her elementary grades at Manuel Padre Rufo School, located in Del Parque Street, Stop 23 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Her secondary studies were done at República Del Perú Jr. High in Loiza Street, also in Santurce
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
. In 1958, she moved with her father to New York City, where she attended P.S. 71 on Avenue B in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Gloria returned to Puerto Rico and got married. She gave birth to a girl, named Catherine Ivonne and later adopted another girl, named María de los Ángeles.
In 1967 she decided to continue her studies and graduated from Ramírez College as a Paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
Secretary. After she divorced her first husband, she re-marries a second time with Juan Rodríguez and had a son named Carlos Javier. During 1970 she started working with the Justice Department, but due to a back injury, in 1983 she decided to retire. It is during this period that González becomes interested in popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and decides to study at the Music Conservatory; entirely dedicating herself to the composition of musical themes.
Career as a song composer
She has written well over 300 songs, within the Salsa musicSalsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
genre, among the renowned artists who have interpreted of her romantic line of songs, are Marco Antonio Muñiz
Marco Antonio Muñiz
Marco Antonio Muñiz is a singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, Muñiz actually has declared publicly and in most countries he has visited, that Puerto Rico is his second country, and many Puerto Ricans consider him to be an "honorary Puerto Rican"...
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
, El Gran Combo
El Gran Combo
El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican Salsa music orchestra. It is Puerto Rico's most successful musical group, and one of the most popular salsa orchestras across Latin America...
, Tony Vega
Tony Vega
Tony Vega is a renowned salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:Vega received his primary education in his hometown. He was born into a family of musicians and therefore learned how to play the bongos and conga at an early age. In 1967, when he was 10 years old, he played the conga for a kids...
, Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...
, Bobby Valentín
Bobby Valentin
Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...
, Andy Montañez
Andy Montañez
Andrés Montañez , better known as Andy Montañez, is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.-Early life:Montañez, like singer Daniel Santos and boxer Ossie Ocasio, is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce San Juan. He is known by the nickname "El Godfather de la Salsa"...
, Carmita Jiménez
Carmita Jiménez
Carmita Jiménez was a Puerto Rican singer who was considered a diva in Puerto Rico. She was born in San Lorenzo....
, Nano Cabrera
Nano Cabrera
Nano Cabrera is a singer, guitarist, and composer born in Condado, Puerto Rico, who was a member of Haciendo Punto en Otro Son, the musical group that brought popularity to typical Puerto Rican music during the last quarter century...
, Los Hispanos, Cheo Feliciano
Cheo Feliciano
José Feliciano, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...
, and many others.
One of her most famous song "Así Es Mi Tierra", was performed by the septet Sol y Canto and accompanied by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Springfield Symphony Orchestra
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It performs at Symphony Hall, a part of the Springfield Municipal Group....
on February 28, 2004.
Awards and recognitions
Gloria González has received awards and recognitions from institutions of paramount importance such as the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture (11/28/1986)., Broadway Awards (1988), Paoli
Paoli
Paoli may refer to:People:*Amalia Paoli , Puerto Rican soprano, sister of the better known Antonio Paoli*Ambrose De Paoli , Roman Catholic cleric and Papal Nuncio*Angelo Paoli , Italian Carmelite...
Award, awards from the municipalities
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
The Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
of Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
and Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
(4/8/2002), as well as recognitions in theaters, TV shows in Puerto Rico, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In June [1991], she was honored with the dedication of the annually National Day of Salsa)., currently celebrated on the third Sunday in the month of March in Puerto Rico. Bobby Valentín
Bobby Valentin
Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...
was also honored that day.
Later years
In 2004, she moved to Central FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where she currently lives. In 2007, she was honored at the "Asociación Borinqueña" of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
for her career as a composer.
See also
- List of composers by nationality
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican songwriters
- List of female composers#1940
- Tite Curet AlonsoTite Curet AlonsoTite Curet Alonso was a renowned composer of over 2,000 salsa songs.- Early years :Born Catalino Curet Alonso in the southern town of Guayama in Puerto Rico. Alonso's mother was a seamtress and his father a Spanish teacher and musician in the band of Simon Madera...