Myrta Silva Oliveras

Arecibo, P.R., 1924 – San Juan, PR, 1987

Músico, cantante, compositora y productora. Es considerada una de las figuras femeninas más destacadas en la historia de la música afrocaribeña del siglo XX. Su contribución a la cultura popular la hizo trascender ampliamente como percusionista, cantante, compositora de temas sentimentales, locutora, animadora, productora de entretenimiento, comentarista de radio y televisión, y defensora del arte puertorriqueño e hispanoamericano. Formó parte del “Cuarteto Victoria” del compositor puertorriqueño Rafael Hernández Marín. Fue la artista de mayor venta de discos entre los años 1947 y 1949, y la primera mujer certificada como “timbalera” por la Unión de Músicos de los Estados Unidos y la Federación de Músicos de Puerto Rico. Ejerció como primera cantante de la Sonora Matancera antes que Celia Cruz. Se le llamó cariñosamente “La Gorda de Oro”.

Musician, singer, composer, and producer. She is considered one of the most outstanding women in the history of 20th-century Afro-Caribbean music. Her contributions to popular culture as a percussionist, singer, and composer of sentimental songs made her widely transcendent. She was also an announcer, entertainment producer, radio and television commentator, and an advocate of Puerto Rican and Hispanic-American art. She was a member of Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín’s “Victoria Quartet” and a record-selling phenomenon. She was the top-selling artist from 1947 to 1949. She was the first woman to be certified “timbalera” by the Puerto Rican Federation of Musicians and the AFM, respectively. She was the lead singer of “Sonora Matancera” before Celia Cruz. “La Gorda de Oro” was her affectionate nickname.