Lucha Reyes

The successful yet short-lived and tormented career of Mexican música ranchera pioneer Lucha Reyes (1906–1944) is the subject of many debates and even fictionalized biographies. Considered ahead of her time, Reyes' lifestyle often stole the spotlight from her successes as a singer, composer and film actress.

María de la Luz Flores Aceves was born in Guadalajara and was regarded as a pioneer in the Mexican country music genre known as música ranchera. A rarity in the male-dominated genre, Lucha garnered respect and adoration as one of the first women ranchera singers as well as much curiosity and scrutiny of her public life and public drunkenness (an attribute totally acceptable for men, of course).

Her first recordings in the late 1920s thrilled Mexican audiences, in particular her stirring version of "Guadalajara," often considered Mexico's second anthem. In the 1930s she performed extensively on Mexican radio, where her singing voice and emotional interpretation began to draw rave reviews. Her recordings of such seminal songs as "El Herradero," "La Tequilera" and "¡Ay Jalisco no te Rajes!" became classics in the authentic vernacular ranchera style. During the golden age of Mexican cinema, she appeared alongside Dolores del Rio and Jorge Negrete in several films between the late 1930s and early '40s, including the internationally famous Allá en el Rancho Grande.

Unfortunately, Lucha's personal life was filled with turmoil, including a bitter divorce and a battle with alcohol abuse. Her professional career began to suffer as a result of her public intoxication as well as her failure to show up to performances. Fans were saddened to see the gradual destruction of the once-famous icon who propelled one of Mexico's most important musical genres. Her tragic death at the age of 38 was thought to be a suicide, yet her presence as a leading figure of the humble genre lives on. —Rebeca Mauleon