Haydée Mercedes Sosa was born on July 9, 1935, and died on October 4, 2009), was a well-known singer in both Latin America and many other nations.
Sosa, one of the leading exponents of El nuevo cancionero, has origins in Argentine folk music. She provided many Latin American songwriters’ tunes a voice. She became known as the “voice of the voiceless ones” thanks to her singing.
Why was Mercedes Sosa called La Negra?
Due to her dark colouring and hair, Sosa was lovingly referred to as La Negra, or “the Black One.” For advocating for the oppressed and defending political freedom, Sosa earned the moniker “the voice of the silent majority.”
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. She won a singing contest held by a nearby radio station when she was fifteen years old, earning her a two-month contract to perform. In 1959, she made her debut album, La Voz de la Zafra.
