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| Olga Guillot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | La Reina del Bolero |
| Born | October 9, 1922 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Genres | Bolero |
| Occupations | Singer |
Olga Guillot (born October 9, 1922 in Santiago de
Cuba) is a famous Cuban singer who was known
to be the queen of bolero. She
is a native of the Cuban city of Santiago.
Guillot and her family moved to Havana, Cuba when she was a small child. As a teenager, she and her
sister, Ana Luisa, performed at a duo, named the "Duo Hermanitas
Guillot".
It wasn't until 1945 that her talent as a bolero singer would be
discovered, when Facundo
Rivero, an influential man in the Cuban music industry of the era,
heard her
sing for the first time, and helped her make her professional singing
debut, at
a famous Havana night club. Soon after, Guillot met Miguelito
Valdés, who took her to New
York City, where Guillot was able to record her first album, with the Decca label.
Guillot traveled to Mexico in 1948. There, she established herself as
an
international singer and actress, participating in various films and
making her
second album. In Mexico, Guillot began to enjoy much popularity for the
first
time in her career.
In 1954, she recorded her song "Mienteme" ("Lie to Me"), which became
a hit
across Latin America, and earned her three consecutive awards back home
in Cuba
as Cuba's best female singer.
1958 proved to be an important year for Guillot, as she toured Europe
for the
first time, including stops in Italy, France, Spain and Germany. She
sang
alongside the equally legendary Édith Piaf during a concert held in Cannes.
Olga Guillot kept a house in Cuba as she travelled around the world
with her
music, apart from her house in Mexico. But Guillot opposed Fidel
Castro's Government,
and, in 1961, she decided to leave Cuba for good and establish herself
in Venezuela.
Not long after that, she
left Venezuela, making Mexico her only permanent residence country.
Meanwhile, she kept touring around the world, singing in places such
as Israel,
Japan, Hong Kong and many
others. In 1963, Guillot was given
the Golden Palm award as "best bolero singer of
Latin America". She received the award in Hollywood,
California. Guillot sang in 1964 at New York's famed Carnegie
Hall.
Guillot continued on touring for the next forty years, releasing over
fifty
albums and winning numerous awards for her activity in the music world.
She was
very good friends with Celia
Cruz, to whom she often referred to as "(her) sister". When Cruz
died from
cancer,
Guillot was one of the most
affected persons in the show business world.
Her albums and music are prohibited in Cuba. Guillot remains a quiet
but
strong critic of Castro and his policies towards Cuban residents.
Guillot still lives mainly in Mexico and has another home on Miami Beach,
Florida.
She has one daughter, Olga
Maria Touzet-Guillot, that she had with the pianist and composer, René
Touzet. She is
godmother to José
José.