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<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE LYDIA MENDOZA Lydia Mendoza was a Mexican American Singer who was born on May 13th, 1961, in Houston, Texas. She didn’t have as much stability growing up, she hopped from home to home. Her dad was a mechanic who worked that worked both sides of the rail line, that was linked to both Texas and Mexico. Every time her dad was assigned to work a side of the rail, he usually took Lydia and her family with him. Growing up with seven other siblings, her family wasn't as fortuitous as others. She was home-schooled by her mom for many years. In between the times, once she reached the age of seven her mom commenced to teach her how to play the guitar. Lydia explained how music was “Inherited” in her, she verbalized it was passed down many generations. Not only was her mom a guitarist but, her grandmother was also as well, and her dad just taste in all variants of music. Even though Lydia gave other instruments a try such as playing the mandolin and violin-she explained how the guitar just a fit for herself was.(Independent.co) Lydia and her siblings composed a family singing group in order to pursue a career that they never thought would be possible. They’ve sung Tejano, Conjunto and Salsa music. Her father was the push of it all, once he started to drink, the group was coerced to make money on the streets. They had no car so customarily they'll walk from community to community to sing. She stood on street corners singing, she even has offered to sing for people for money. With Lydia’s melodious tone of voice, while playing the 12-string guitar-she became the main earner for the family just at the after ten.(NPR) In 1928, Lydia’s father came across a local newspaper that mentioned how “Okeh Records” is probing for new talent and will be holding auditions in San Antonio, Texas. Just as expected, she left out of there with a deal, the deal was to record 20 songs for the value of $140. The following year a Radio Broadcaster “Manuel J Cortez” came across Lydia’s singing and invited her to be a guest on one of his shows. After singing two songs, she was offered a slot getting paid $3.50 a week for the performance of two songs a night. Cortez set high prospects for her. He wanted her to be perceived more by not just her voice but, her face. He then booked her to perform at restaurants, tent shows, and talent contests. In 1934 Bluebird Records arrived at San Antonio to audition nearby talent. Lydia auditioned for the BlueBird Records, leaving with a bigger deal! Making $60 just to record four songs. That soon led Lydia to get the names of "La Alondra de la Frontera" (the Meadowlark of the Border) and La Cancionera de Los Pobres (the Songstress of the Poor). She was an inspiration!!!(Arts.gov) From 1934 to 1988 Lydia went solo. “Mal Hombre” (Malignant Man) and “Pero hay que triste” (But, Oh, How Doleful) were her two hit solo songs. She recorded over 1,200 singles and albums with numerous south TX labels! 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, in 2001, she received that year's Lifetime Achievement Award from Folk Alliance International and in 2003, she was among the second group of recipients to be awarded the Texas Medal of Arts by the Texas Cultural Trust (NPR). In 1935 Lydia married a shoemaker who goes by the name of Juan Alvarado. Within years of the marriage, Lydia had three daughters. By her being a fulltime mom and withal an artist, she decided to step back from her singing career for a while. She retired in her early 40’s but somehow was drawn back into the industry. In 1950 she commenced performing for bigger crowds than ever before, performing for about 20,000 per night in Mexico, Cuba, and Columbia (The Guardian). https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/lydia-mendoza http://americansabor.org/musicians/lydia-mendoza https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579323/bio https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lydia-mendoza-songstress-of-the-poor-767618.html https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127033025 https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/lydia-mendoza https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jan/03/folk.usa -->