Popular artist Juana Bacallao dies in Cuba at age 98

February 24, 2024

The popular Cuban artist Juana Bacallao passed away today in this capital at the age of 98, after days of hospitalization in serious condition, reported the Cuban Institute of Music.

Since her medical situation became known, there were countless displays of affection and concern from her people, transmitted through social media and other media outlets toward the singer and comedian Neris Amelia Martínez Salazar, better known as Juana Bacallao.

Born into a humble family and orphaned at a very early age, the singer's comic gift took 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, served as a kind of domestic employee, whose talent caught the attention of composer, musician and orchestra director Obdulio Morales.

The Cuban maestro promoted her debut at the Martí theater in Havana, with the interpretation 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."

An artist "Show Woman," as baptized by Maestro 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, considered a legend of Cuban culture, she made a milestone in the history of cabaret, from the 1950s of the past century.

Juana Bacallao is also the image of the picaresque popular tradition of the island nation, based on the carefree manner in which she assumed a danceable repertoire before audiences all over the world.

Awarded the National Humor Prize (2020), she was much beloved in Mexico, Venezuela, the United States and Canada; in the latter country she was given 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 they hummed her name, especially among Italians.

Cuba's show woman, a title more than deserved through decades of performing for audiences, was applauded again and again over decades thanks to her way of performing, the lyrics of the songs she interpreted and her extravagant costumes.

Many musicians made their own the catchy melody "Juana, la cubana," 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.