Cecilia
Who is Cecilia?
Cecilia Evangelina Sobredo Galanes (Madrid, October 11, 1948 – Trasmonte, Benavente, August 2, 1976), known professionally as Cecilia, was a Spanish singer-songwriter. The daughter of diplomats, she spent part of her childhood travelling between countries, which is why her earliest memories and first compositions were in English; over time she turned to writing in Spanish, the language of her greatest hits. As a teenager she performed at end-of-year school parties, a pastime she never gave up.
Career
In 1970 she formed the group Expresión, with which she recorded a record. In 1971 she was signed by the multinational label CBS (now Sony Music), releasing her first single, “Mañana,” backed with “Reuníos” — dedicated to the Beatles. Her debut album, “Cecilia,” followed in 1972, featuring songs such as “Lady, Lady,” “Me fui,” “Dueño y señor” and “Nada de nada.” A year later she released “Cecilia 2,” with a more intimate, mature sound, including songs such as “Andar,” “Un millón de sueños” and “Mi ciudad.”
In 1975 she released “Un ramito de violetas,” the album that cemented her legacy thanks to its title track, and which also included the hit “Mi querida España”; the record was illustrated with her own drawings, one per song. That same year she represented Spanish television at the OTI Festival with “Amor de medianoche,” written by her with music by Juan Carlos Calderón, finishing second. In late 1976, while working on an album inspired by the poetry of Valle-Inclán, she released the single “Tú y yo,” a notable hit that summer.
Notable discography and legacy
Cecilia died in the early hours of August 2, 1976, in a car accident near Benavente (Zamora) while returning from a concert in Vigo; she was 27. After her death a single featuring “El viaje” and “Lluvia” was released, followed in 1983 by an album of previously unreleased songs, including “Doña Estefaldina,” originally intended for the record she left unfinished. In 1996 a double album appeared featuring six duets with artists such as Miguel Bosé, Julio Iglesias, Ana Belén and Manolo Tena, plus the previously unreleased “Desde que tú te has ido.” Her records also included covers of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel classics, such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which helped popularize those songs among Spanish audiences. Alongside songwriters such as Janis Ian and Carole King in the English-speaking world, she is regarded as one of the most personal voices of the singer-songwriter movement of her generation.