Concierto Para Las Madres

May 13th, 2006

Vikki Carr wows the audience...

Event Poster	On Stage at the California Theater of Performing Arts	On Stage with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
Select any picture to see the larger version	Vikki receives a key to the city from San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris after her sold out performance	Vikki's audience was enthusiastic

Smooth, passionate vocals? It must be Vikki Carr
George A. Paul, Staff writer, Daily News

When it comes to longevity in the music business, only a few female vocalists of Latino heritage can match Vikki Carr's track record.

CONCERT PREVIEW: SINFONIA MEXICANA
What: Presenting Concierto Para Las Madres, a Mother's Day concert featuring Vikki Carr
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
Where: California Theatre of Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino
Tickets: Sold out Information: (909) 884-3228, www.sinfoniamexicana.com 

Over the past four decades, she has won Grammy Awards, amassed several gold and platinum discs worldwide, sung before Queen Elizabeth and five U.S. presidents and claimed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This weekend, Carr will appear at California Theatre -- her first Inland Empire visit since a concert at Cal State San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena in 1996.

According to Tony Bocanegra, executive director of Sinfonia Mexicana, Carr fans who attend the special Mother's Day-oriented show are in for a treat. "She will be accompanied by one of the best mariachi bands in the country" who often play in Las Vegas.

He said the California Theatre date sold out a month in advance and that organizers considered adding another one. Instead, they plan to bring her back next year.

The program is expected to include several mariachi numbers. Then, Bocanegra added, "she will wow us with a couple of songs we all know and love, like ‘It's Impossible' (popularized by Perry Como), ‘Can't Take My Eyes Off You' (Frankie Valli) and ‘It Must Be Him.'''

Born Florencia Biscenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona in El Paso, Texas, Carr, 64, was raised in the San Fernando Valley and began singing at age 4. She signed a contract with Liberty Records in 1961.

Best known in America for her late '60s pop hits "It Must Be Him," "With Pen in Hand" and "The Lesson," she first found fame abroad when the 1962 single "He's a Rebel" hit it big in Australia.

Carr was the first female to be a regular guest host on the "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and frequently made the rounds on popular TV variety shows of the day hosted by Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnett and Perry Como. Guest appearances on "The Mod Squad" and "Fantasy Island" followed.

In 1972, she put out her first Spanish-language disc. Long overdue recognition in that genre came during the '90s, when she received a pair of Grammys (Best Latin Pop Album for "Cosas del Amor" and Best Mexican-American Performance, Vocal or Instrumental for "Recuerdo a Javier Solis'').

Astute moviegoers might recall "It Must Be Him" from its prominent placement in the 1987 Cher/Nicolas Cage film "Moonstruck." More recently, Carr was seen on TV's "Baywatch," in George Clooney's acclaimed "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the direct-to-video release "Puerto Vallarta Squeeze," starring Harvey Keitel.

She also garnered positive notices for her role in the 2002 L.A. musical "Follies," starring Hal Linden and Patty Duke. A bilingual Latin jazz-tinged disc of standards is reportedly in the works.