Mercedes Sosa, my first musical reference to go!

Mercedes, Mercedes... I'm really sorry she is gone. I knew she was sick and that there were big chances that the news would hit the newspapers soon... and so it did...

Mercedes Sosa, an Argentinian woman, with a deep velvet rich voice, a voice that came from the very bottom of her esophagus, gorgeous straight pure black hair - that she made sure to keep beautiful til her last days, who could easily sing acapella, became a symbol fighting, through her music, on behalf of the many political issues the Americas had in the 60's and 70's.

In my particular case, she became more known when I joined UNICAMP, my university back in march 1977. In those days, my political wings were quite wide opened and flying highish. In between classes, I would take part in meetings where us, young students, discussed our dream of a better Brazil, a less censured Brazil, what could be done and what could WE do in order to achieve it.

In those days, Cambodia was way into Pol Pot's regime and I clearly remember meetings we had where her songs would play before and after it and charged up with her music we started our heated discussions of how we could avoid Brazil having its own "Killing Fields". These meetings would carry on later in the day at parties that went on way into the night and of course, there she was again, being played in good old LPs. She became such an icon in the fight for a better society, specially in Argentina of course, that she had to go into exile in Europe for a while.

What a gift she had and me, 2009 Odila, is VERY pleased to have had Mercedes participating in my adulthood formation. I hope my other dear singers from those days, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, wait a bit before going, I still want to see them live.

Here are two You Tube videos of her singing:
- Mercedes and major Brazilian singers singing "Volver a los 17":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYNx1D74mtQ
- Mercedes singing the absolute max "Gracias a la Vida".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyOJ-A5iv5I&feature=related