Blanca Rosa Gil, who was often called a “Singing Dolly”, was born on 26 August 1937 in Matanzas province in Cuba. Sometime later, Blanca’s family moved to Mexico, where her singing career started. Gil was one of the most successful Latin-American artists in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Back then, she worked with the recording label Velvet. Blanca is most famous for such songs as “Hambre”, “Cristal”, “Tu me hiciste mujer”, “Besos de Fuego,” and “Besos Brujos.”
In 1959, when Gil lived in Caracas, she recorded the LP Sombras, which included a popular single “Cristal”. The young woman was “discovered” by a Cuban radio personality and businessman Gaspar Pumarejo. He took Gil back to Cuba, where she became famous. Blanca’s album made a lot of noise in her home country. She performed on Cuban radio and TV and sang in cabaret.
In 1960, Gil moved to Mexico. In 1966, she recorded a new version of the song “Hambre”, which was initially created by a famous Mexican musician Rosendo Alvarez. The single stayed on the Mexican charts for many months bringing the singer even more fame. Many event planners and festival organizers were dreaming of booking Blanca Rosa Gil.
In 1961, Gil, while in Cuba, recorded an album Blanca Rosa, which was very successful in her home country and abroad. She was invited to the Venezuelan TV show Blue Moon of Caracas. In December, Gil went on a tour to Mexico and decided not to come back to Cuba. She recorded several more albums and started giving concerts all over the world. She mostly toured Latin American and the USA.
