B5201

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Lydia Mendoza - Tejano Music Recording Artist

Collins Cover Announcement 

Lydia Mendoza

The Lark of the Border

Lydia was born on May 21, 1916 in Houston, Texas and learned to sing and play the guitar from her mother and grandmother. In 1928 she made her first recording in San Antonio as part of a family vocal group. In the early 1930s Mendoza came to the attention of Manuel J. Cortez, a pioneer in MexicanAmerican radio broadcasting. Her live broadcasts led to her making several recordings for Bluebird Records, a subsidiary_of RCA Victor.

When her rendition of "Mal Hombre" became an overnight sensation, it led to a hectic schedule of touring and recording. A star had been born in the world of Tejano and traditional Mexican-American music. After World War II, her career flourished and she continued to perform and record Mexican-American music until a stroke in 1988 slowed her down. My individually watercolored cachet shows a young Lydia and pays tribute to the "First Lady of Tejano Music."

Over the years this amazing vocal artist was the recipient of many honors. In 1982 the National Endowment of Arts made her the first Texan to receive the National Heritage Fellowship Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1999 she was presented the National Medal of Arts. And in 2003 the Texas Cultural Trust awarded her the Texas Medal of Arts.

Lydia Mendoza died on December 20, 2007 at the age of 91. To her fans she will always be remembered as "La Alondra de la Frontera" — The Lark of the Border. Collins #B5201 — $14.00.