Lucha Reyes: Peruvian music star

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Lucha Reyes was one of Peru’s greatest singers. She was born into poverty in 1936 and fought terrible health problems and racism throughout her life. But it didn’t stop her becoming a star of Peruvian Creole music - a fusion of waltzes, Andean and Afro-Peruvian styles.

In the early 1970s she recorded hits including Regresa and Tu Voz. One of the few black Peruvian celebrities of her era, she was a trailblazer for black women in the country.

Polo Bances played the saxophone in her band, accompanying her on many of her greatest records. He celebrates her life with Ben Henderson.

(Photo: Lucha Reyes. Credit: Javier Ponce Gambirazio)

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm John Ronson and I'm an invisible enemy.
0:05.0	That changed people psychologically.
0:08.0	Words can be dangerous if you don't know the context.
0:12.0	We were told to stay at home.
0:15.0	We lived with an invisible enemy,
0:17.0	with only the internet for company.
0:19.0	That changed people psychologically.
0:21.0	I'm John Ronson, and I'll be unerthing the roots of the culture
0:24.8	wars that engulfed us then and still do now.
0:28.8	The award-winning podcast, Things Fell Apart, Returns. listen on BBC sounds.
0:38.8	Hello and welcome to Witness History from the BBC World Service with me Ben Henderson.
0:45.0	Today we're going back to when the singer Luca Reyes became a star of Peruvian music. The authorida pergunta
0:54.0	Timecarita Sousia.
0:57.0	It was a Sunday in 1969.
1:02.0	I was in a band and we performed at this restaurant on weekend.
1:07.0	Lutreja Reelse walked in on her own.
1:09.5	She sat down at a table, called over the waiter, and gave him a note written on a piece of paper, addressed
1:16.8	to us. In the note, she asked if she could sing for the audience. We said yes and presented her to the audience but they didn't give
1:26.1	her a warm welcome. There wasn't even applause. They hadn't heard of her I guess, but when she finished singing the reaction was unbelievable.
1:37.0	The audience completely changed, and they all stood up and asked her for another song.
1:43.0	This is Polo Bances, a legendary Peruvian musician.
1:48.0	He played the saxophone and he just found his new lead singer.
	...

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