Maria Elena
Composer:
Lorenzo Barcelata
Genre: World / Folk
Decade: 1923 to 1949
Submitted by: Russell Ambrose
Description:
His most famous song is María Elena, which was originally written for the First Lady of Mexico, the wife of president Emilio Portes Gil. Maria Elena was featured in the Mexican film by the same name. A version of it was also included on the soundtrack to the American film Bordertown. It was later translated into English and performed by the Lawrence Welk orchestra. Another English version was recorded by Jimmy Dorsey. Dorsey's version topped the charts in 1941. Wayne King also recorded an English version which reached the number 2 position during the week of June 14, runner-up only to the Dorsey version. A vocal version by Tony Pastor also reached the top 10 during that month. Maria Elena has since been recorded internationally by several different musicians. In 1958, the Brazilian group Los Indios Tabajaras recorded a version that became popular throughout Latin America and later reached the number 6 position in the US charts in 1962.The popularity of Maria Elena resulted in Barcelata touring the United States once again. He returned to Mexico in 1943 where he was scheduled to produce several radio programs. However, he died on July 13, before recording could begin. In total, he left behind a catalog of 214 songs, including Por ti aprendí a querer, and El Cascabel, among others.[1]
by: Russell Ambrose