María Dolores Pradera

María Dolores Fernández Pradera OAXS (29 August 1924 – 28 May 2018) was a Spanish singer and actress, one of the most prestigious voices in Spain and Latin America. She started her career as an actress, working in the theatre and in some of the most famous Spanish movies from the 1940s: ¡A mí la legión! (1942), La Lola se va a los puertos (1947), or Agustina de Aragón (1950). During the 1950s, she started singing professionally, eventually abandoning her career as an actress in the 1960s. She recorded more than 35 discs.

As a singer, she specialized in traditional Spanish and Latin American music: bolero, copla, ballad, ronda, vals, and folk music (Peruvian, Argentinian, Mexican, and Venezuelan). Her contralto voice had a deep resonance and sure melodic footing which must stem from classical training. Her pronunciation was pure Castilian, and her music pure Latin American. Her repertoire encompassed some of the most memorable melodies from Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Chile and her interpretations close to genuine. She typically sang accompanied by guitars, requintos, and drums. She sang for close to 30 years with the same group, Los Gemelos, formed by twin brothers, Santiago López Hernández and Julián López Hernández, until the death of Santiago in the early 1990s.

María Dolores Pradera died on 28 May 2018 at the age of 93.

Honours

Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (Kingdom of Spain, 27 April 2001). Dame Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (Kingdom of Spain, 7 October 2016). .