Graciela and Miguelito Valdes

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Graciela and Miguelito Valdes were both singers with Machito Graciela (August 23, 1915 – April 7, 2010)[1] was a Afro-Cuban singer of Latin Jazz, known as The First Lady of Latin Jazz. Biography Graciela Pérez Gutiérrez was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in the Afro-Cuban Jesús María neighborhood.[4] A pioneer in music, as a black Cuban woman, in a so-called man's world, she opened doors for all those who followed her. She performed around the world, recording and sharing the stage with her adoptive older brother, Frank "Machito" Grillo, who encouraged her to sing. They played alongside Mario Bauzá (originator of the genre of Afro-Cuban Jazz) in the world-renowned orchestra Machito and the Afro-Cubans. Graciela was primarily known for her tremendous voice, risque and sassy stage presence and sexy double entendre lyrics. She could sing a jazzy guaracha as easily as handling the most romantic boleros. Though her last names were Pérez Gutiérrez, she was only known by her first name, "Graciela", long before doing so became widely fashionable among musicians. She was summoned to New York City in 1943 by Mario Bauzá, when Machito was drafted into the army. She joined the orchestra as lead singer until Machito returned in 1944 and from then on the three shared the stage together until their untimely split in 1975. For thirty-two years they were on top of the charts and were the orchestra not only to beat, but to emulate. Not only did they travel the United States and the rest of

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