Haydée Mercedes Sosa, well known as La Negra (lit. “The Black One” in Argentina), was an Argentine singer who gained popularity across Latin America and many other countries. She was born on July 9, 1935, and died on October 4, 2009.
As a result of her Argentine folk music background, Sosa rose to prominence as a leading exponent of El nuevo cancionero. She gave voice to several Latin American songwriters’ tunes. People praised her as the “voice of the voiceless ones” because of her songs.
Mercedes Sosa siblings: Meet Clara Rosa Sosa, Fernando Sosa, Orlando Sosa
Mercedes’ siblings have been identified as Clara Rosa Sosa, Fernando Sosa, and Orlando Sosa.
Sosa, who is of mestizo origin, was born on July 9, 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, a region in northwest Argentina.
She was of Diaguita, French, and Spanish ancestry. She began her career as a vocalist for the Peronist Party in Provincia Tucuman under the name Gladys Osorio.
Her parents were Peronists, though they never joined the party. In 1950, when she was fifteen years old, she won a singing contest held by a nearby radio station and received a two-month contract to perform. In 1959, she made her debut album, La Voz de la Zafra.
