Diving into something a bit different tonight – four songs off a Cuban ep featuring Hermanas Benitez, released in 1960.
The songs: 1 – Pepito – 2. Moritat – 3. Corazón de melón 4. Llorarás – released by Zafiro records in Havana.
Hermanas Benítez was a Cuban vocal group active between the 1950s and 1970s, consisting of sisters Beatriz, Beba, Petry, Carmen, Juanita, and later Haydee. They began their musical journey by performing under the guise of professional singers from Matanzas at Radio Cubana in Havana, leading to a contract and appearances on Cuban television. In 1957, they toured over 20 U.S. cities and performed in Mexico, including at the Club de Yates de Acapulco. Their breakthrough came with “Corazón de Melón” from the film Sube y Baja (1958), featuring Cantinflas.
They were the daughters of Francisco Benítez , the former Cuban Minister of Labor and creator of the “8×5” Labor Law, which protected Cuban workers from workweeks exceeding 40 hours. Possibly inspired by the success of the Cuarteto d’Aida , they began performing with their group at a very young age, almost by chance, secretly from their father, but with the support of their loving mother, Doña Felicia Hernández de Benítez.
Successes continued, Beba announced her marriage in Mexico and her departure from the group, thus bringing forward the integration of the youngest member, Haydee, so as not to break up the quintet, at the moment when they got a contract to travel through the Middle East and Europe , where they appeared in a film by Dino de Laurentis , “I love, you love”.
The group’s decline began in the mid-1970s after achieving fame and recognition, especially from TVE, the Spanish television network, which produced several variety and interview programs that are fondly remembered by the Spanish public. Beba reunited with her sisters in Madrid for a family visit at the end of 1976, and it wasn’t until 1995 that Juanita died in Spain.
Now you have a little background (if you didn’t already know),press play and take the night off.
