Tehua

María del Rosario Graciela Rayas Trejo (1943 – August 21, 2014[1]), known professionally as Tehua ("you" in Nahuatl), was a Mexican singer and popularizer of traditional music. She was named by the poet Jaime Sabines as the "abusive voice of birds."[1]

For the county in Quanzhou, China, see Dehua County.

Tehua
Born
María del Rosario Graciela Rayas Trejo

1943 (1943)
Querétaro City, Mexico
Died (aged 71)
Mexico City, Mexico
NationalityMexican
OccupationSinger

Biography

When she was two years old, Tehua's family emigrated from Querétaro City to San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, of which she considers herself a native. At age 26 she moved to Mexico City to begin her career as a singer. According to her own admissions, her intention was to have a style similar to that of Lucha Villa. However, the difference in their voices made it impossible to continue in that direction. She began to sing in bars.

In the early 1970s she began to sing protest songs. In that environment she met Óscar Chávez and Amparo Ochoa, with whom she collaborated on multiple occasions.[2] During this decade she participated, within its musical segment, on the educational program Caminito, led by Pepita Gómiz, as well as the program Sábados con Saldaña, directed by Jorge Saldaña, where she worked with musicians and singers such as Jorge Macías, Óscar Chávez, and Daniel García Blanco.[3]

Among Tehua's repertoire were old Mexican songs from different parts of the country, from Sonora to Oaxaca and Chiapas. She has interpreted songs by composers such as Joaquín Pardavé, Agustín Lara, Ignacio Fernández Esperón (Tata Nacho), and Salvador Chava Flores.[1] She has rescued songs such as "Mis blancas mariposas", "La norteña", "El buque de más potencia", "Cuatro milpas", "Mi casita de paja", and "El jarabe loco", which were in danger of being forgotten.[1]

Her career was not very commercial. In addition to her records, her songs appear on cultural radio stations. She gave special attention to live performances, in association with cultural institutions of Mexico City and some states of the republic.[2][4]

Tehua died from cancer in Mexico City on August 21, 2014.[5]

Select discography
  • Añoranzas mexicanas
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen II
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen III
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen IV
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen V, with Óscar Chávez
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen VI, with Óscar Chávez
  • Añoranzas mexicanas volumen VII, interpreting Tata Nacho
  • Y la canción se hizo... Historia
  • La canción femenina, singing María Grever
  • Tehua interpreta a Chava Flores[4]

References
  1. "Muere Tehua, gran portavoz de la música tradicional" [Tehua, Great Spokesperson of Traditional Music Dies]. El Universal (in Spanish). Notimex. August 21, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  2. Cruz Bárcenas, Arturo (December 20, 2008). "No estás sola, dicen amigos a Tehua en la noche de la cigarra" [You Are Not Alone, Friends Say to Tehua on the Night of the Cicada]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. Gómez Sánchez, Abelardo (November 14, 2014). "Jorge Saldaña o el alto contraste, in memoriam" [Jorge Saldaña or the High Contrast, in Memoriam]. Los Ángeles Press (in Spanish). Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  4. "Los viejos cantantes no existimos para la TV: Tehua" [The Old Singers Do Not Exist for TV: Tehua]. Vanguardia (in Spanish). Notimex. June 11, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  5. Martínez Frausto, Ernesto (August 25, 2014). "Murió Tehua, La voz abusadora de los pájaros" [Tehua Dies, the Abusive Voice of Birds] (in Spanish). Hasta que el Cuerpo Aguante. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.