Global Hit – Yma Sumac
When Americans first heard Peruvian singer Yma Sumac in the 1950s, she was billed to sell.
Sumac was known as “The Nightingale of the Andes” and “the Peruvian Songbird.” And those were more than just nicknames.
Here’s proof, from the 1954 Hollywood film “Secret of the Incas,” starring Charlton Heston, with songs provided by Ms. Sumac.
Yma Sumac was 86 when she died Saturday at a nursing home in Los Angeles.
Tom Schnabel is host of Cafe LA at station KCRW in Santa Monica.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!