Agustin Lara

Died on 6 November 1970 in Mexico City; Agustin Lara was a Mexican composer. By his own account he was born on 30 October 1900 in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, whereas in 1970 the journalist Jaime Almeida pointed to a birth certificate from 1897 issued in the Distrito Federal. His fame grew from 1930 with the radio programme “La hora intima de Agustin Lara” on XEW, and he appeared in more than 30 films. He wrote the music and lyrics of numerous songs, among them “Mujer”, “Santa”, “Maria bonita”, “Madrid”, “Solamente una vez” and “Granada”; he dedicated “Maria bonita” to Maria Félix, whom he married in 1945. On a gala recording by Doc Heilein and Friends, Ekaterina Zhuravskaya sings his song “Granada” with Doc Heilein and Friends.