Juana Bacallao

Neris Amelia Martínez Salazar (Havana, May 26, 1925), better known as Juana Bacallao, is a popular Cuban artist. Biography

She was born into a humble family and was orphaned at an early age, so she was admitted to a nun's school. Although he never performed formal music studies, he learned to play piano and tumbadoras. Performing work as a domestic employee, was discovered by Obdulio Morales, who promoted her debut in the famous theater Martí de la Habana, with the interpretation of the guaracha "I am Juana Bacallao". This forever determined his artistic name, which later evolved to that of "Juana, la cubana."

Later, he made presentations in important places of Cuban nightlife such as the Red Room of the Hotel Capri, the Parisien of the Hotel Nacional, the Tropicana and Cabaret Sans Souci. He shared scenarios with artists such as Nat King Cole, Bola de Nieve, Chano Pozo and Beny Moré, and performed in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Spain, the United States, France, Mexico, Venezuela and the Opéra-Comique in Paris. >

Until 1959 his presence was proscribed on television in his country and his career was limited to presentations in nightclubs. This determined in her the development of an extravagant stage theatricality that not few came to classify as vulgar.

During a time, alcoholism wreaked havoc on his life, although he later abandoned alcohol completely and continued his career, receiving recognition such as the Distinction for National Culture, the medal "Alejo Carpentier" and the Disc of Gold in Canada. With his colorful costumes and humorous interventions, he became a popular and unique character of the night in Havana. Sources

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