From wikipedia...
Lydia Mendoza (May 21, 1916 – December 20, 2007) was an
American guitarist and singer of Tejano, conjunto, and traditional
Mexican-American music. She is known as "La Alondra de la Frontera"
(or "The Lark of the Border" in English).
Mendoza was born on May 21, 1916, in Houston, Texas. She
learned to sing and play stringed instruments from her mother and grandmother.
In 1928, as part of the family group, Cuarteto Carta Blanca, she made her first
recordings for the Okeh Records label in San Antonio, Texas.
In the early 1930s, Mendoza came to the attention of Manuel
J. Cortez, a pioneer of Mexican-American radio broadcasting. Her live radio
performances set the stage for her 1934 recordings on the Bluebird Records
label, a subsidiary of RCA Victor. Her recording, "Mal Hombre",
became an overnight success and led to an intensive schedule of touring and
recording.
After World War II, Mendoza recorded for many of the major
Mexican-American record labels mostly located in Texas. She continued actively
performing and recording up until a stroke in 1988 slowed her schedule down.
Many of her recordings are still available including those issued by Arhoolie
Records, a California-based label specializing in the release of regional forms
of American music.
Over the years, Lydia Mendoza was the recipient of numerous
awards and honors: In 1982, she became the first Texan to receive the National
Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for
the Arts. In 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts, and in 2003, she
was among the second group of recipients to be awarded the Texas Medal of Arts
by the Texas Cultural Trust.
Recorded on October 22, 1936.
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