Luis Mariano

Mariano Eusebio González García, a.k.a Luis Mariano, was a famous tenor of Spanish-Basque origin who is remembered, especially in France, as "the king of the operetta." Born in Irún, he showed from an early age the signs of a multi-talented personality. By the time he was 12 years old, he could sing, draw and write stories with incredible virtuosity. When both his house and his hometown were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, Mariano fled to France and settled in Bordeaux where he even had to work on the fields to support himself and his education. He enrolled there at the Fine Arts Institute choosing Architecture as his major. After graduation, he decided that singing was his true vocation and for the next two years he attended the prestigious Conservatory of Music. His professional debut as a tenor came in 1943 when he sang the part of Ernesto in Donizetti's comic opera "Don Pasquale" at the Palais de Chatillot, receiving enthusiastic reviews. In 1945 he moved to Paris where he met Francis López, a French composer of Spanish ancestry who specialized in colorful operettas with Spanish themes. López talked Mariano into trying this popular musical genre and within a year, both the vocalist and the composer, had achieved a great success with "La Belle de Cadix." The operetta was recorded and one of the songs, "María Luisa" became a radio hit for Luis Mariano making him a pop sensation in France and Spain. From then on it was continued success for the singer who starred in many other operettas by López and recorded dozens of highly popular tunes. Soon the movie industry came calling and he was featured in several films with notable box office results. Some of the productions were filmed versions of his stage hits allowing his good looks and golden voice to reach a worldwide audience. By 1952 and with the box office success of his film "Violetas Imperiales," Luis Mariano had become and international idol and for many years, combined his stage, film and recording activities in Europe with personal appearances all over the world. By the 1960s, with the rock British invasion and the demise of the operetta, Luis Mariano's stage work became less frequent. However he continued recording and was often seen on television and live concerts. In 1967 Luis Mariano and Francis López united again and surprised everybody with "Le Prince de Madrid," an old style operetta which ran in a Paris theater for two years. It was like the good old days all over again and in December 1969 they opened with "La Caravelle d'Or" expecting similar results. However a few weeks after the debut, Luis Mariano became ill and had to abandon the production. He was diagnosed with viral hepatitis and after a long fight with the disease he died in July 1970. During his extraordinary career, Luis Mariano received most of the awards and accolades granted by the entertainment industry. He was also officially recognized with France's Legion of Honor Medal and Spain's Order of Queen Isabella The Catholic. His films and recording are still widely distributed on CDs and DVDs while in his hometown a park was named after him with a sculpture of the singer ensuring his everlasting presence.