In the mid 1950s Monna Bell was barely in her teens when she took part in a talent-search contest held at Radio Minerias, then Chile's most popular radio station. Her voice and style won over the listeners and she became a regular at the station's live music shows. She was praised by her ability to sing both romantic ballads and swinging jazz tunes and blues, rare qualities in a Latin artist. Sometime in 1956 she was asked by prestigious band leader Roberto Inglez to join his group as a vocalist for a 3-week stint at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. Miss Bell and the band had such a success that they stayed for a whole year in the Big Apple. From there they toured Europe but in Madrid the young vocalist decided to go solo after receiving an attractive offer from that city's best night club "Pasapoga". Monna Bell at the Pasapoga was a huge success and she became a favorite of Spanish audiences. By 1959 she was recording for Hispavox a repertoire of romantic songs which included a cover of The Platter's "My Prayer" seem totally ignorant of Monna Bell's place in Latin music history and consequently have no clue on how to market her product properly. The hopes for a true artistic return vanished on April 21, 2008. While recovering from a successful colon cancer surgery, Monna Bell died of cerebral hemorrhage at a hospital in Tijuana where she was residing to be close to her daughter and grandchildren.
