Juana Bacallao, Juana la cubana in Serious Health Condition

February 23, 2024

The Cuban Institute of Music (ICM) reported today on its Facebook social media account that the health condition of the famous Cuban artist Juana Bacallao (98 years old) is serious, with a reserved prognosis.

The note indicates that the ICM has kept abreast and in direct contact with the family members and with the medical institution where the outstanding Cuban artist Neris Amelia Martínez Salazar, better known as Juana Bacallao, is hospitalized.

We appreciate the expressions of affection and concern toward such a charismatic and beloved figure of Cuban Culture, the text states.

Born into a humble family and orphaned at a very early age, the comedian's gift of the singer led her through very diverse paths of entertainment, from cabarets to television, passing through theater.

Although she never pursued formal music studies, she learned to play piano and tumbadoras, serving as a kind of domestic employee, whose talent caught the attention of composer, musician, and orchestra director Obdulio Morales.

The Cuban Master promoted her debut at the Martí theater in Havana, with the performance of the guaracha "Yo soy Juana Bacallao," which became her stage name, which later transcended the borders of the Caribbean island with the nickname "Juana, la cubana."

A "Show Woman" artist, as christened by Master Morales, Juana became the Black Goddess of Cuban cabarets.

In her way of performing, she combined song lyrics with burlesque or tragic texts, grandiose gesticulation, and extravagant costumes.

Unique in her style, she marked a milestone in the history of Cuban cabaret from the 1950s onward.

Juana Bacallao is also the image of the popular picaresque tradition of the Caribbean nation, based on the uninhibitedness with which she embraced a danceable repertoire before audiences around the world.

Awarded the National Humor Prize (2020), she was very beloved in Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, and Canada; in the latter country they gave her a Gold Record.

She was also recognized in the Dominican Republic, where she performed for several years; many European radio stations advertised some of her songs, and for an extended period hummed her name, especially among Italians.

The show woman of Cuba, a title more than deserved through decades before spectators, was cheered time and again for decades thanks to her way of performing, the lyrics of the songs she interpreted, and her extravagant costumes.

American Nat King Cole, Cubans Ignacio Villa (Bola de Nieve), Rosita Fornés, and Benny Moré, Mexican Mario Moreno (Cantinflas), and Italian Rafaela Carrá shared the stage with Juana, who thrilled the audiences attending her performances.

Many musicians made the catchy melody "Juana, la cubana" their own, among them, the late tex-mex, ranchera, Latin pop, and cumbia singer, Selena.

She received multiple recognitions, such as the Distinction for National Culture, the "Alejo Carpentier" medal, and the aforementioned Gold Record, presented in Canada.