Consuelo Velázquez

Consuelo Velázquez ( born August 29, 1916 in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, † January 22, 2005 in Mexico City ) was a Mexican musician and composer. Her works include Boleros like No me PIDAS nunca, Pasional, Déjame quererte, Que seas feliz, Yo no fui, Chatito, chachito and ( most famously ) Bésame mucho, which she wrote when she was not yet 25 years old. Bésame mucho would change her life. The song was translated and world famous over the years in over 20 languages ​​and interpreted by countless musicians.

The date of birth is not known exactly. Different sources give the following information available: 21 (or 29 ) August 1916 (or 1920 or 1924). Presumably therefore passed to some sources, Bésame mucho would be composed by Consuelo at the age of 15 years.

Consuelito as she was affectionately called by the Mexicans, was the daughter of a professional soldier and showed great musical talent very early. At the age of seven, she gave her first piano concerto. At 17, she has been a music teacher. Later, she played as a pianist at the Mexican State Symphony Orchestra ( Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional) and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the UNAM, the oldest Mexican university.

She married Mariano Rivera Conde, director of a radio station, and had two children with him. Consuelo Velázquez was also politically active. So she sat from 1979 to 1982 as deputy in the Mexican Parliament, where she campaigned especially for the rights of the authors.

Despite the huge success of their boleros she always remained active as a soloist of classical music. Playing the piano was her passion, she pursued every evening alone or in public until shortly before her death at the age of 88 years.