Mercedes Sosa

Folk singer Mercedes Sosa made her debut at age 15 in a Tucumán radio contest and went on to become one of Argentina's most celebrated artists. Together with first husband Manuel Oscar Matús and other noted Argentine folk singers such as Atahualpa Yupanqui, Sosa initiated the nuevo cancionero (as it was called in Argentina) movement in her country and became one of the prominent recording and touring artists until the mid-'70s, when the Videla dictatorship banned her in her homeland and forced her into exile in Paris and Madrid.

Among her most significant recordings is a tribute to Chilean poet and folk singer Violeta Parra, whose song "Gracias a la Vida" became a signature in Sosa's repertoire. Her return to Argentina in 1982 prompted numerous appearances and best-selling recordings as well as collaborations with international artists from Brazil, Cuba and around the globe. In 2000 Sosa won a Latin Grammy for best folk album for Misa Criolla, and she continues her role as a leading exponent of nueva canción with a prolific performing schedule and a commitment to the importance of music as a vehicle for peace and justice. —Rebeca Mauleon