Biography:

Gracia Cabrera Gómez (1 March 1936 – 2 June 2022), known professionally as Gracia Montes, was a Spanish copla singer.^[1][2]

Early life

Montes was born in Lora del Río, Seville, on 1 March 1936.

Career

1950s

Montes made her debut in 1953 with the show “La copla por bandera” in Madrid. At the age of 17, she appeared at the Juvenile Galas held at the Cervantes Theater in Seville, joining the shows of various companies, including those of singers Pepe Pinto and La Niña de los Peines (Pastora Pavón) and in the variety shows of Mercedes Vecino and Los Gaditanos. Pastora, teacher of cante jondo, was the first artist that Montes listened to. For various reasons, some critics of the time likened her style to the cantaora.^[3]

In the mid-1950s, Montes made her first recording with Columbia Records. That included bulerías such as “La luna y el río” and “¿Será una rosa?”, both written by Francisco de Val. She took part in radio programs in the fifties, such as Conozca usted a sus vecinos (Know your neighbors), by Rafael Santisteban, and Cabalgata fin de Semana, directed by Bobby Deglané. Montes performed her hit “¿Será una rosa?” as well as “Amor, ¿por qué no viniste, amor?” (Love, why didn’t you come, love?) and “Camino del cielo” (Road to Heaven). The recording edited by Columbia of the latter differs from the original lyrics written by de Val.^[4]

Director Juan Antonio Bardem hires Montes for her intervention in the feature film, Death of a Cyclist (1955), in which she performs the fandango “Amor, why didn’t you come, love?” (Fandangos de Huelva and Verdiales), but also includes some verses from the fandango “I would like to be a cowboy” by Pepe Pinto, recording live for the film a version different from the one collected on the original disc.^[5] Later, director José Luis Sáenz de Heredia called her for his film Radio Stories (1955). The director asked Gracia Montes to interpret “Will it be a rose?” but the author of it asked the producer for an amount that he did not see fit. For this reason, Montes finally interprets some songs from Almonte that had also been received with great acceptance: “La Romera”, written by a trio that had been interested in the voice of Gracia Montes: Ochaíta, Valerio and Solano. This trio of composers would also write for her the songs from Granada “Coplas del chapinero”, “Una rosa colorá”, “Speak with the eyes…!” or the sailor pasodoble “Cariá la Sanluqueña”.^[6]

From the airwaves, Montes was discovered by talent scout José Brageli, who was a talent scout for figures from the show like Paquita Rico, Curro Romero or Mikaela. Launched under the stage name of Gracia Montes, she appeared before the Andalusian public with the show La Rosa de Andalucía, with a libretto by Ochaíta, Valerio and Solano. As exceptional spectators were in the crowded San Fernando Theatre, everyone agreed that Montes had a different voice. Then came the show Coplas al viento, with which she toured all of Spain. There, she shared the stage with reciter Gabriela Ortega, with creations by Ochaíta, Valerio and Solano.^[7]

Credits: