Charra outfits, hat and other items on display belonging to Malena Cano.

Malena Cano (also known as La Perla)[1] is a ranchero music and mariachi singer from the El Paso, Texas area.[2] She is known for her work in both music and stage.

Biography

Cano began performing after winning a singing contest at a local radio station when she was ten years old.[1] Later, at age 16, she would perform at the El Paso Coliseum and other Southwest venues.[1] She sang with a band called The Ruby's and the lead singer of the group, Eugene Anchondo, gave her the nickname, "La Perla."[3] Her work, singing with mariachis was groundbreaking, as women were traditionally excluded from that kind of music.[3] Cano's singing has been popular in the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez areas.[4] Around 1979, she began acting on stage.[3] In addition to stage-work, she also incorporates history from the region into her performances.[5][6] One of her shows, Viva Mexico, explores Mexican history through song and dance.[7]

In 1990, Cano was nominated in the first Hispanic Music Awards Show.[8] She was awarded "Best Local Female Mariachi Vocalist" in 1993.[9] One of her performance costumes was donated to the Smithsonian and she has been "enshrined" in the National Archives as a Texas folk artist.[10][11] In 2017, she was inducted into the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "La Perla to be Featured in College Chicana Night". El Paso Herald-Post. 25 January 1975. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Ranchero Artist Will Sing At Chamizal". El Paso Times. 11 January 1991. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Ross, Phil (13 August 1985). "'La Perla' Forges Path for Women". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com. and "La Perla". El Paso Times. 13 August 1985. p. 3D. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Salgado, Rosanna (7 January 1994). "'La Perla' Malena Cano Began Singing Career at Birth". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Sparacio, Sarah (19 March 1999). "Local Singer Gives Concert About Mexico". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "'Viva Mexico'". El Paso Times. 3 October 1999. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Romero, Cynthia (9 September 2008). "'Mexico' Musical Gives Audience History Lesson". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Hispanic Music Gets Spotlight in Awards". El Paso Times. 6 April 1990. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Cortes, Maria (1 March 1993). "Hispanic Music Awards". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Ballew, Coco (28 March 1997). "'La Perla' Presents 6th Performance of 'Mexicanisimo'". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-08-19 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Renteria, Ramon (21 September 2014). "Adios to 'Viva Mexico'". El Paso Times.
  12. ↑ Williams, Drake (24 July 2018). "Malena Cano honored in ASC mariachi exhibit". Tejano Tribune. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
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