Las Hermanas Montoya
Encyclopedia
The Montoya Sisters, AKA Las Hermanas Montoya, were a Latin music singing group consisting of four sisters; Mercedes, Ofelia, Emilia and Esther.
, and the remaining siblings were all born in California
. Their parents, Salvador, a railroad worker, and mother, Concepción eventually moved the family of ten to San Jose, California
. The girls formed their own local singing group in the area, and with the advent of radio, began performing on live shows, opening many local new radio stations. At one of these live sessions, an executive from the Bacardi Radio Hour, a popular radio show in Mexico City
, heard their voices and immediately asked them to perform on the show.
to go on a world tour that included Japan, Europe and South America, and signed on as RCA Victor recording artists that same year. The group went on to work with some of the eras's biggest Latin music performers and toured with names such as Celia Cruz
, Billy Eckstine
and Nat King Cole
. The fifties produced a number of sister acts in the United States such as the Lennon Sisters, the Andrews Sisters and the McGuire Sisters. The Montoya Sisters seemed to fill the Latin music niche for a sister act. From 1950 to 1957 the girls were busy performing, recording as RCA Victor artists, and had parts in two movies. They also did command performances for several world leaders such as Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Farouk of Egypt
. Through their recording career, they released many songs with many Latin band leaders such as Luis Arcaráz, Rafael de Paz, Lucho Bermúdez
and Chucho Navarro
. The Sisters hit gold with their million selling single "Mucho Mucho Mucho". In 1957 Emilia (Emily) left the group to marry. Esther and Ofelia continued the group as a duet until 1969.
Years Active: 1948–1950
Years Active: 1948–1969
Died: October 11, 1993
Years Active: 1948–1957
Died: August 21, 2008
History
The girls were born of immigrant parents who moved to the United States in 1928. Mercedes was born in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the remaining siblings were all born in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Their parents, Salvador, a railroad worker, and mother, Concepción eventually moved the family of ten to San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. The girls formed their own local singing group in the area, and with the advent of radio, began performing on live shows, opening many local new radio stations. At one of these live sessions, an executive from the Bacardi Radio Hour, a popular radio show in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, heard their voices and immediately asked them to perform on the show.
Career
The four sisters arrived in Mexico City in 1948 and performed as a quartet and enjoyed steady work on a weekley live radio show on station XEW and were under contract as the featured act at "El Patio", which at the time was the number one nightclub in Mexico City, Mercedes eventually returned to the United States to marry. In 1950 the sisters were approached by the "Mambo King" Pérez PradoPerez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
to go on a world tour that included Japan, Europe and South America, and signed on as RCA Victor recording artists that same year. The group went on to work with some of the eras's biggest Latin music performers and toured with names such as Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
, Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
. The fifties produced a number of sister acts in the United States such as the Lennon Sisters, the Andrews Sisters and the McGuire Sisters. The Montoya Sisters seemed to fill the Latin music niche for a sister act. From 1950 to 1957 the girls were busy performing, recording as RCA Victor artists, and had parts in two movies. They also did command performances for several world leaders such as Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Farouk of Egypt
Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
. Through their recording career, they released many songs with many Latin band leaders such as Luis Arcaráz, Rafael de Paz, Lucho Bermúdez
Lucho Bermúdez
Luis Eduardo Bermúdez , was a Colombian musician, composer, and interpreter of Boleros, Cumbias, Porros and other Colombian folkloric rhythms stylized by orchestras.- Early years :...
and Chucho Navarro
Chucho Navarro
José de Jesús Navarro Moreno, , better known by his stage name of "Chucho" Navarro, was a singer and founding member of the Trio Los Panchos. Chucho Navarro was the second voice in the trio, singing harmony and playing a guitar. He continued to sing in this role until his death in 1993.-External...
. The Sisters hit gold with their million selling single "Mucho Mucho Mucho". In 1957 Emilia (Emily) left the group to marry. Esther and Ofelia continued the group as a duet until 1969.
Mercedes Montoya Carlos
Born: September 24, 1926Years Active: 1948–1950
Ofelia Montoya Vazquez
Born: November 20, 1927Years Active: 1948–1969
Died: October 11, 1993
Emilia Montoya Sanchez
Born: May 2, 1929Years Active: 1948–1957
Died: August 21, 2008
Hit records
- Mucho Mucho Mucho; RCA/Victor with Pérez Prado Orchestra
- Penita Contigo; RCA/Victor with Pérez Prado Ochestra
- Cha Cha Cha Chavela; RCA/Victor with Rafael de Paz
- Que Siga La Pachanga; RCA/Victor Rafael de Paz
Discography
- Las Hermanas Montoya, Con las Orquestras RCA
- Hermanas Montoya, Que Siga La Pachanga OTRA
- Hermanas Montoya, El Trio ideal de la Cancion Moderna RCA/Victor
Filmography
- Viajera (1952) with Fernando Fernández and Rosa Carmina
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
(Spanish versionAlicia en el país de las maravillasAlicia en el país de las maravillas is an Argentinian 1976 Spanish language adaptation of Alice in Wonderland....
) Voices of Singing Flowers