Silvia de Grasse
Silvia de Grasse | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 October 1921 Panama City, Panama |
| Died | 14 March 1978 (aged 56) |
| Genres | Jazz and tamborera |
| Instrument | claves |
| Formerly of | Los Alegres Tres |
Spouse | Joseph Ernest Chapuseaux (m. 1932) |
Silvia de Grasse (28 October 1921 – 14 March 1978) was a Panamanian jazz and tamborera singer. She was known as the "Queen of the Tamborera" in Panama and as "The Empress of Song" in the wider Latin America.
Biography
De Grasse was born on 28 October 1921 in Panama City, Panama.[1][2] She sang from a young age and became a professional artist aged 14,[1] recording the songs "La Guajira," "La Morena Tumba Hombres," and "Hagan Ruedas."[3] Her music was played on the City of Colón la Voz de la Víctor Radio Station (today the CPR La Primera Radio Station).[4]
De Grasse collaborated with other Panamanian artists, such as organist and pianist Avelino Muñoz in 1938,[5] and became known as the "Queen of the Tamborera" in Panama and as "The Empress of Song" in the wider Latin America.[2][6]
De Grasse married Dominican vocalist Joseph Ernest "Negrito" Chapuseaux in 1942. The couple formed a musical trio called "Los Alegres Tres" with their friend Simmón Damirón in 1945.[1] They moved to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.[2]
In the 1960s, de Grasse moved to New York City, United States,[7][8][4] where she continued her career and performed with jazz musicians including Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Benny Moré, Tito Puente and Pedro Vargas.[2][6][7] She toured to Europe in 1963.[9]
De Grasse died on 14 March 1978 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, aged 56.[2][6]
References
- ^ a b c "LA REINA DE LA TAMBORERA Vive en el corazón de los panameños". CRITICA EN LINEA-EPASA: Sección Variedades (in Spanish). 31 July 2003. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Silvia DeGrasse". Vivapanama.org. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Del Vasto, César (29 April 2005). "Silvia de Grasse". Biblioteca Nacional de Panamá (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b Ceballos, Luis J. (9 July 2020). "Homenaje de gratitud a la gloria de la música vernácula Panameña Sylvia de GrasseDetalles de Panamá: historia, opinión y análisis sobre lo que somos y lo que vivimos como país". Detalles de Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ ""AVELINO MUÑOZ: PIANISTA Y ORGNISTA PANAMEÑO DE ANTAÑO"". EL BLOG DEL BOLERO (in Spanish). 1 March 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Sylvia De Grasse". Ansonia Records. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b Perez, Patricia Zarate de (13 November 2023). Reimagining Panama's Musical and Cultural Narratives of Jazz: Panamanian Suite. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 73–74. ISBN 979-8-8818-8167-2.
- ^ Lapidus, Benjamin (28 December 2020). New York and the International Sound of Latin Music, 1940-1990. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-3130-9.
- ^ Notas de Panamá (in Spanish). 1963.
External links
- Sylvia de Grasse at the Discography of American Historical Recordings
- Silvia de Grasse discography at Discogs