Haydée Mercedes Sosa (9 Julie 1935 – 4 October 2009), kent as La Negra (leeterally: The Black Ane), wis an Argentine sangster who wis popular throuoot Laitin Americae an mony kintras ootside the continent. Wi her ruits in Argentine fowk music, Sosa became ane o the preeminent exponents o nueva canción. She gae vyce tae sangs written bi baith Brazilians an Cubans. She wis best kent as the "vyce o the vyceless ones".

Sosa performit in venues sic as the Lincoln Center in New York Ceety, the Théâtre Mogador in Paris an the Sistine Chaipel in Vatican Ceety, as well as sell-oot shows in New York's Carnegie Hall an the Roman Coliseum durin her feenal decade o her life. Her career spanned fower decades an she wis the recipient o several Grammy awairds an nominations, includin a posthumous Latin Grammy awaird for Best Folk Album. She servit as an ambassador for UNICEF.

Life an career
Sosa wis born on 9 Julie 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwastren Argentine province o Tucumán, o mestizo, French, an Quechua Amerindian ancestrie. In 1950, at age fifteen, she wan a singin competeetion organisit bi a local radio station an wis gien a contract tae perform for twa month. She recordit her first album, La Voz de la Zafra, in 1959. A performance at the 1965 Cosquín Naitional Folklore Festival — whaur she wis introducit an brocht tae the stage while sittin in the audience bi fellae fowk sangster Jorge Cafrune-, brocht her tae the attention o her native kintrafowk.

Sosa an her first husband, Manuel Óscar Matus, wi whom she haed ane son, wur key players in the mid-60s nueva canción muivement (which wis cried nuevo cancionero in Argentinae). Her seicont record wis Canciones con Fundamento, a collection o Argentine fowk sangs.

In 1967, Sosa toured the Unitit States an Europe wi great success. In later years, she performit an recordit extensively, broadenin her repertoire tae include material frae throughout Laitin Americae.

In the early 1970s, Sosa released twa concept albums in collaboration wi componer Ariel Ramírez an leericist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana an Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Weemen). She recordit a tribute tae Chilean poet Violeta Parra in 1971 an aw, includin wha wis tae acome ane o Sosa's signatur sangs, Gracias a la Vida. She increased the popularity o sangs written bi Milton Nascimento o Brazil an Pablo Milanés an Silvio Rodríguez baith frae Cuba an aw.

Efter the militar junta o Jorge Rafael Videla came tae pouer in 1976, the atmosphere in Argentinae grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata in 1979, Sosa wis searched an arrestit on stage, alang wi aw those attendin the concert. Thair release came aboot throu internaitional intervention. Banned in her awn kintra, she muivit tae Paris an then tae Madrid. Her seicont husband dee'd in 1978.

Sosa returned tae Argentinae in 1982, several months afore the militar regime collapsed as a result o the Falklands War, an gae a series o concerts at the Opera theatre in Buenos Aires, whaur she invitit mony o her younger colleagues tae share the stage. A dooble album o recordins frae thir performances became an instant best seller. In subsequent years, Sosa continued tae tour baith in Argentinae an abroad, performin in sic venues as the Lincoln Center in New York an the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. In a poor condeetion o halth for hintle o the 1990s, she performit a comeback shaw in Argentinae in 1998. In 1994, she played the Sistine Chaipel in Vatican Ceety. In 2002, she sauld oot baith Carnegie Hall in New York an the Coliseum in Roum in the same year.

A supporter o Perón in her youth, she favored leftist causes throuoot her life. She opposed Preses Carlos Menem, who wis in office frae 1989 tae 1999, an supportit the election o Néstor Kirchner, who became preses in 2003.
Sosa wis a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Laitin Americae an the Caribbean.

In a career spannin of fower decades, she wirkit wi performers athort several genres an generations, fowk, opera, pop, rock, includin Lucio Dalla, Nana Mouskouri, Maria Farantouri, Andrea Bocelli, Holly Near, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Milton Nascimento, Fito Páez, Caetano Veloso, Joan Manuel Serrat, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa, Gian Marco, Konstantin Wecker, Lourdes Pérez, Nilda Fernández, Pata Negra, David Broza, Franco Battiato, Luz Casal, Ismael Serrano, Charly Garcia, Joan Baez, Luciano Pavarotti, Shakira, Lila Downs, Julieta Venegas, Martha Argerich, Francis Cabrel an Sting.

Sosa pairticipatit in a 1999 production o Ariel Ramírez's Misa Criolla. Her sang Balderrama is featurt in the 2008 movie Che, starrin Benicio del Toro as the Argentine Marxist revolutionar Che Guevara.

Awairds
She wan the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 ("Misa Criolla"), 2003 ("Acústico") an 2006 ("Corazón Libre"), as well as mony internaitional awairds.

In 1995 Konex Foundation frae Argentinae grantit her the Diamond Konex Award, ane o the maist prestigious awairds im Argentinae, as the maist important personality in the Popular Music of her kintra in the last decade.

Her album Cantora 1 wan twa awairds at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2009. She wan Best Folk Album an wis nominatit for Album of the Year. The album wis awairdit Best Recording Package an aw.

Daith

Sufferin frae recurrent endocrine an respiratory problems in later years, the 74-year-auld Sosa wis hospitalisit in Buenos Aires on 18 September 2009. She died frae multiple organ failure on October 4, 2009, at 5:15 am. She is survivit bi ane son, Fabian Matus, born durin the first marriage. He said: "She lived her 74 years to the fullest. She had done practically everything she wanted, she didn't have any type of barrier or any type of fear that limited her". The hospital expressed its sympathies wi her relations. Her wabsteid featurt the follaein: "Her undisputit talent, her honesty an her profoond convictions leave a great legacy tae futur generations".

Her body wis placit on display at the Naitional Congress biggin in Buenos Aires for the public tae pay thair respects, an Preses Fernández de Kirchner ordered three days o naitional mournin. Thoosans haed queued bi the end o the day. She wis crematit on 5 October.

Sosa's obituar in The Daily Telegraph said she wis "an unrivalled interpreter o wirks bi her compatriot, the Argentinian Atahualpa Yupanqui, an Chile's Violeta Parra". Helen Popper o Reuters reportit her daith bi sayin she "focht Sooth Americae's dictators wi her voice an became a giant o contemporar Laitin American muisic". Sosa receivit three Latin Grammy nominations for her album, in 2009 . She went on tae win Best Folk Album aboot a month efter her daith.

Discografie

She recordit fowerty albums.
 La voz de la zafra (1962)
 Canciones con fundamento (1965)
 Yo no canto por cantar (1966)
 Hermano (1966)
 Para cantarle a mi gente (1967)
 Con sabor a Mercedes Sosa (1968)
 Mujeres argentinas (1969)
 Navidad con Mercedes Sosa (1970)
 El grito de la tierra (1970)
 Homenaje a Violeta Parra (1971)
 Hasta la victoria (1972)
 Cantata sudamericana (1972)
 Traigo un pueblo en mi voz (1973)
 Si se calla el cantor (1973) (wi Gloria Martín, life in Venezuela)
 Niño de mañana (1975)
 A que florezca mi pueblo (1975)
 En dirección del viento (1976)
 O cio da terra (1977)
 Mercedes Sosa interpreta a Atahualpa Yupanqui (1977)
 Si se calla el cantor (1977) – Recopilacion
 Serenata para la tierra de uno (1979)
 A quién doy (1980)
 Gravado ao vivo no Brasil (1980)
 Mercedes Sosa en Argentina (1982)
 Mercedes Sosa (1983)
 Como un pájaro libre (1983)
 Recital (1983)
 ¿Será posible el sur? (1984)
 Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón (1985)
 Corazón americano (1985) (wi Milton Nascimento an León Gieco)
 Mercedes Sosa ´86 (1986)
 Mercedes Sosa ´87 (1987)
 Amigos míos (1988)
 En vivo en Europa (1999)
 De mí (1991)
 30 años (1993)
 Sino (1993)
 Gestos de amor (1994)
 Live in Argentina (1994)
 Live in Europe (1994)
 Sera Posible El Sur (1994)
 Vivir (1994)
 Oro (1995)
 Escondido en mi país (1996)
 Gracias a la Vida (1996)
 Alta fidelidad (1997) (wi Charly García)
 Coleccion Mi Historia (1997)
 Al despertar (1998)
 Misa criolla (1999)
 Serie Millennium 21 (1999)
 La Negra (2000)
 Acústico (2002)
 Grandes Exitos, Vols. 1 & 2 (2002)
 40 Obras Fundamentales (2003)
 Argentina quiere cantar (2003) (wi Víctor Heredia an León Gieco)
 Voz Y Sentimiento (2003)
 Corazón libre (2005)
 Éxitos Eternos (2005)
 La Historia del Folklore (2007)
 Cantora 1 (2009)
 Cantora 2 (2009)

Filmografie
Güemes, la tierra en armas (1971)
Argentinísima (1972)
Esta es mi Argentina (1974)
Mercedes Sosa, como un pájaro libre (1983)
Será posible el sur: Mercedes Sosa (1985)
Historias de Argentina en vivo (2001)

References

Freemit airtins

 Tribute to Mercedes Sosa  (in Portuguese BR)
 Mercedes Sosa's wabsteid  (in Spainyie)
 Mercedes Sosa's News (in Spainyie)
 

1935 births
2009 daiths
Latin Grammy Award winners
Argentine female sangsters
Argentine activists
Argentine fowk o French strynd
Argentine fowk o Quechua strynd
Daiths frae renal failur
Fowk frae San Miguel de Tucumán
Nueva canción muisickers
Bombo legüero players