Irene Martínez (singer)
Irene Martínez | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | La Niña Irene |
| Born | Irene Martínez Mejía 31 December 1923 Gamero, Mahates, Colombia |
| Died | 23 August 1993 (aged 69) Gamero, Mahates, Colombia |
| Genres | Bullerengue |
| Years active | 1979–1992 |
Irene Martínez Mejía[a] (1923–1993), also known as La Niña Irene, was a Colombian bullerengue singer and songwriter. She was the lead singer of the group Los Soneros de Gamero for 13 years, with whom she helped to popularise bullerengue as a commercially successful genre in Colombia.
Biography
Martínez was born on 31 December 1923 in Gamero, in the corregimiento of Mahates in the Colombian department of Bolívar.[1]
In August 1979, Martínez and musician Wady Bedrán formed the bullerengue group Los Soneros de Gamero.[2] Bedrán had heard Martínez singing with her cousin Emilia Herrera at a wake, and invited them both to form a group.[3] Los Soneros de Gamero had a hit with their first single "El Lobo", and went on to release 17 albums.[2] Martínez sang lead vocals, and other members included Magín Díaz and occasionally Herrera.[4] Martínez also wrote songs for the group, though she was illiterate.[3] Radio Nacional de Colombia wrote that Martínez and Herrera were at the beginning of "a phenomenon of commercial modernisation of bullerengue, tambora, and sung dances."[1]: q
Martínez wrote 40 songs, mostly in the genre of bullerengue. Her notable compositions include "Yo Quiero Bailar", "La Chalupa", and "Trucaneto".[5]
Martínez stopped singing in 1992, and was later diagnosed with throat cancer.[2] She died on 23 August 1993, at home in Gamero.[2]
Albums with Los Soneros de Gamero
- Candela Viva! (1980)
- Cógele el Rabo (1981)
- Chispa Candela (1982)
- Raspacanilla (1983)
- Sambatá (1984)
- Bailando (1985)
- Esta Sabroso! (1986)
- Mambé (1987)
- Botando Candela (1988)
- La Penca del Carnaval (1989)
- La Montá (1990)
- Pa' Parrandea' (1991)
Notes
- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Mejía.
References
- ^ a b "Un cuarto de siglo sin Irene Martínez, la Niña Irene" [A quarter century without Irene Martínez, la Niña Irene], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), 20 August 2018, retrieved 18 February 2026
- ^ a b c d Rosario Meléndez (24 August 1993), "Murió Irene, la del Coron Coro", El Tiempo (in Spanish), retrieved 18 February 2026
- ^ a b "La "Niña Irene" y La "Niña Emilia"", Semana (in Spanish), 18 March 1985, retrieved 18 February 2026
- ^ "30 años sin Irene Martínez y sin Emilia Herrera: cantadoras, primas y rivales" [30 years without Irene Martínez and Emilia Herrera: singers, cousins, and rivals], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), 22 August 2023, retrieved 18 February 2026
- ^ José I. Pinilla Aguilar (2005). "Martínez Irene". Cultores de la Música Colombiana (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). p. 441. ISBN 958-33-7841-0.
External links
- Irene Martínez discography at Discogs