Antonia García de Videgain

Antonia García was born in the working-class district of Cádiz, Spain, the oldest of three children, including Micaela García. She was descended from the House of Medina Sidonia of Cadiz through one of its branches in the south of Spain. She began singing at school. Although her parents supported her talent, they did not think it was in keeping with the family's noble origins. She was supported in secret by her paternal uncle, who always believed in her talent. At age 15 she participated in a Zarzuela company and sang traditional songs. She was put in contact with influential musicians of her time, and at festivals she met people like Ruperto Chapí and Gerónimo Giménez.

García's powerful voice was an asset at a time when there were no microphones, but only in her later years was she able to make a few recordings. Nevertheless, she made her name in the 1860s, and remains known as a result of being widely featured in both the Spanish and Latin American press. In 1894 in Buenos Aires she appeared as Doña Rita in La Verbena de la Paloma.

She was later declared an adopted daughter of Buenos Aires, where a street was named in her honor. Her career spanned more than 50 years, from a role in a Zarzuela at the age of 12 until her retirement. She married very young, to a singer and actor from Málaga, Don Salvador Videgain Gómez, with whom she had two children. She retired in 1908 from the theater industry but, in 1914, as a result of the misfortune of the fire of the Teatro Arriaga of Bilbao, she made the decision to re-launch her career briefly as a singer, mainly in festivals.

García had suffered from diabetes since the late 1880s, which caused her to cancel some appearances. In 1918 she was diagnosed with severe diabetes; she died in her house in Madrid on June 25, 1924, and her remains are in the Cementerio de la Almudena in Madrid, in the same block as other famous artists of her time.

Her style has influenced many female tango singers in Argentina, as well as many famous Spanish flamenco singers. She was a pioneer in international travel, having toured Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, and Uruguay. For her work as a recording artist, García entered the Paseo de las Luminarias in the city of Cuba, among many other places, and was "godmother" to a ship named after her.

Her son, Salvador Videgain, was an actor, director and singer.