Interesting and Fun Facts about Lola Beltrán, a Mexican Ranchera and Huapango Singer and Actress ‘Lola la Grande’

Google animated Doodle honors Lola Beltrán, a Mexican singer and actress who contributed to the popularity of ranchera and huapango music. Today’s Google Doodle honors Lola Beltrán, a singer and actress from Mexico on her 92nd birthday. The renowned performer revitalized beloved songs and contributed to the global success of Mexican Ranchera music. On March 7, 1932, Beltrán was born in El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Lola la Grande (Lola the Great).

Here is a look at the life and work of Lola Beltrán.

Who is Lola Beltrán?

Mexican ranchera singer Lola Beltrán (María Lucila Beltrán Ruíz) rose to fame as a superstar. After Lucha Reyes (1906–1944), Beltrán, also known as “Lola la Grande” (Lola the Great), was the most successful female ranchera singer.

Quick Look

• Birth name: María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz
• Birth date: 7 March 1932
• Birth place: El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico
• Died on: 24 March 1996 (aged 64)
• Death place: Mexico City, Mexico
• Resting place: Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
• Other names: Lola la Grande
• Famous as: Singer, actress, television presenter
• Spouse: Alfredo Leal
• Children: Maria Elena Leal Beltrán

Interesting Facts about María Lucila “Lola” Beltrán Ruiz

1. Actress and singer María Lucila “Lola” Beltrán Ruiz was from Mexico. She was and still is one of the most well-known ranchera and huapango singers in Mexico.
2. Similar to Reyes, Lola Beltrán was born on March 7, 1932, in El Rosario, Sinaloa, into a lower-class family.
3. Beltrán studied secretarial skills and competed in singing competitions in her hometown of El Rosario, Sinaloa.
4. After that, Lola Beltrán relocated to Mexico City, but she would frequently return to Rosario. There, she worked as a secretary at XEW, the top radio station in Mexico, where radio announcer Raul Mendivil made her professional discovery.
5. Matilde Sánchez, a singer, came upon her while she was employed as a secretary at XEW radio station in Mexico City during the 1950s. She made her singing debut with the assistance of Sánchez and Miguel Aceves Mejía.
6. María Elena Leal, a singer, is Beltrán’s daughter from her marriage to matador and actor Alfredo Leal. With El Tesoro de la Muerte, she made her cinematic debut in 1954.
7. Lola Beltrán made appearances in numerous movies, the majority of which were musicals, before landing the lead in the telenovela Mi Rival alongside Saby Kamalich.
8. Along with other well-known Mexican musicians like Amalia Mendoza, Juan Gabriel, and Lucha Villa, she collaborated on the hit song “Priscila elque se fue”.
9. Lola Beltrán performed songs like “Cucurrucucú paloma” and “Paloma Negra” in front of many world leaders and gained international recognition for them.
10. “Lola the Great” or Lola la Grande was her nickname.
11. In Pedro Almodóvar’s film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, her song “Soy infeliz” (which means “I’m unhappy”) served as the opening music.
12. She debuted in a film with the Argentine film El Cantor del Circo (1940). In the 1963 film La Bandida, she was co-credited with notable Mexican actors Emilio Fernández, Ignacio López Tarso, Katy Jurado, María Félix, and Pedro Armendáriz.
13. In Una gallina muy ponedora (1982), she made her final cinematic appearance, sharing credits with Emilio Fernández and Columba Domínguez.
14. Lola Beltrán hosted two television shows as a presenter: Noches Tapatias (1976) and El estudio de Lola Beltrán (1984), where she featured celebrities like Cornelio Reyna, Juan Gabriel, Lucha Villa, La Prieta Linda, and Luis Miguel.
15. She also hosted the musical programs El Estudio de Lola Beltrán and Noches Tapatías from 1976 to 1985.
16. She released over a hundred records in her career, including hits like “Paloma Negra,” “Huapango torero,” and “Cucurrucucúpaloma.”
17. She also did a lot of work in movies, mostly musicals, such as Una gallina muy ponedora (1982), Cucurrucucú paloma (1965), and El tesoro de la muerte (1954).
18. She starred in the television soap opera Mi Rival in the 1970s. She is notable not only for being a female vocalist in a largely male-dominated industry but also for having introduced ranchera music—a traditional Mexican genre closely associated with mariachi music—to a global audience. She is colloquially referred to as the “Ambassador of the Ranchera.” One of the most successful ranchera performers of all time is still regarded as Beltrán.
19. Lola Beltrán was the first ranchera singer to sing at Mexico’s most prestigious opera house and concert hall, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts). Numerous singers in the genre, such as Rocío Dúrcal and Linda Ronstadt, were influenced by Beltrán.
20. She also performed as a singer in the Olympia Music Hall in Paris, the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and the Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) Conservatory in the former Soviet Union.
21. A series of commemorative postage stamps honoring “Popular Idols of Radio” were issued by Beltrán’s home country of Mexico in 1995. Her lifetime accomplishments in the popular music industry and her ability to popularize Mexican culture around the globe were honored with this action.
22. Lola Beltrán died at Ángeles Hospital in Mexico City from a massive pulmonary embolism shortly after recording “La Tariácuri,” a record labeled “Disco del Siglo” (English: Album of the Century), with Lucha Villa and Amalia Mendoza (produced by Juan Gabriel). In Mexico City, she died unexpectedly on March 24, 1996.
23. To allow her compatriots to say farewell, her body was on display in the rotunda of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) in Mexico City. This distinction is only given to the most famous actors, poets, writers, recording artists, and artists.
24. She performed her songs for presidents and other dignitaries worldwide. Beltrán appeared in 50 films and produced 100 albums during her career. Generations of Mexican singers have been influenced by her to embrace folk music and sing about real-life experiences.
25. On March 7, 2024, Google featured an animated Doodle on its homepage to celebrate Lola Beltrán’s 92nd Birthday.