LA LUPE Definitely La Yi Yi Yi original 1969 TICO Lp

Original 1969 USA pressing of TICO 1189; not a reissue.  Sought-after Latin Soul funk Lp. Cover is NM, still in original shrinkwrap.  Record is NM-.   No scratches, no wear; looks like it was only played a few times.  But it does have some surface marks that look like they are from rubbing inside the cover or dust.   Some might still call it NM, to some it might only be VG++; I'll compromise at NM-.   Labels are NM.

Tracklist [with Latin genre]:    Fijense [Bolero]     /   Miedo [Bolero-Moruno]     /   Silencio [Balada]     /  Quisqueya [Bolero]  /   Avanza y Vete de Aqui [Bolero]  /   Toitica Tuya [Guaracha]  /   A Borinquen   /   Si Tu No Vienes [Son Montuño]  /   La Virgen Lloraba [Mambo-Aguinaldo]   /   Saraycoco [African Boogaloo]

Born in the barrio of San Pedrito, Santiago de Cuba, her father was a worker at the local Bacardi distillery and a major influence on her early life.  The family moved to Havana in 1955, where she studied to become a teacher.  Lupe married in 1958 and formed a musical trio with her husband Eulogio "Yoyo" Reyes and another female singer.  This group, Los Tropicuba, broke up along with the marriage in 1960.  She began to perform her own act at a small nightclub in Havana, La Red (The Net), which had a clientele of distinguished foreigners. She acquired a devoted following, which included Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jean Paul Satre, Simone de Beauvoir and Marlon Brando.  She also performed regularly on radio. She released her first album, Con el Diablo en el cuerpo (With the Devil in my Body) on Discuba in 1960 or 1961.  Her first television appearance on Cuban television, singing this number, was a complete sensation, and shocked some who watched.

Her expressive performances with their violent sexuality attracted criticism that she was a poor role model, which led to professional difficulties.  It is said – Cuban sources are silent here – that Fidel Castro was so outraged by one occasion (on Puerto Rican tv) in which her clothes were torn off that he banned further performances in Cuba.  In 1962 she found herself exiled to the United States.  In New York City she performed at a cabaret named La Barraca, where she was discovered by Mongo Santamaria and started a new career, making more than 10 records in five years.  She married a second time, to salsa musician Willie García, with whom she had a son.  The marriage ended in divorce, after which she had a daughter by one of her lovers.

Her passionate performances covered the range of music: son montuno, bolero, boogaloo, venturing into other Caribbean styles like Dominican merengue, Puerto Rican bomba and plena.   In the sixties she was the most acclaimed Latin singer in New York City due to her partnership with Tito Puente.  She was the first Latin singer to sell out a concert at Madison Square Garden.  She also did a wide variety of cover versions in either Spanish or accented English, including Yesterday, Dominique by The Singing Nun, "Twist & Shout", "Unchained Melody", Fever and America from from the play/film West Side Story.

The quality of her performances became increasingly uneven, and it is clear that her work was suffering, with her numerous affairs, and generally hectic emotional life.  There were pesistent rumours of her drug addiction, and her life was "a real earthquake" according to close friends.  She ended some of her on-stage engagements being treated with an oxygen mask.[8]   Although she may have been poorly managed by her record producers, Fania in particular, she managed and produced herself in mid-career, after she split with Tito Puente.

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