Sosa was born on July 9, 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucumán, of mestizo ancestry. She was of French, Spanish, and Diaguita descent. Her parents were Peronists, although they never registered in the party, and she started her career as a singer for the Peronist Party in Provincia Tucuman under the name Gladys Osorio.
In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months. She recorded her first album, La Voz de la Zafra, in 1959. A performance at the 1965 Cosquín National Folklore Festival where she was introduced and brought to the stage while sitting in the audience by fellow folk singer Jorge Cafrune brought her to the attention of the Argentine public.
Why was Mercedes Sosa called La Negra?
La Negra means the Black One and because Sosa has dark hair and skin she was referred to as La Negra. Sosa was dubbed “the voice of the silent majority” for championing the poor and fighting for political freedom.
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Source: celebfaqs.com
