Conny Méndez

Juana María de la Concepción Méndez Guzmán, commonly referred as Conny Méndez (11 April 1898 – 26 November 1979) was a Venezuelan composer, singer, writer, caricaturist, actress and metaphysicist. Her parents were the poet Eugenio Mendez y Mendoza and Lastenia Guzman. Her schooling was in Caracas and New York City. In New York, Mendez studied paint in the Art Student's and music in the New School of Music. During the 1920s she returned to Caracas, and collaborated as a writer and caricaturist in different magazines and newspapers, including El Nuevo Diario, Elite and Nosotras. These cartoons were collected in the work Bistury: Album de caricaturas (1931). In 1946 Mendez founded the Christian Metaphysics movement in Venezuela, under the influence of Count Saint-Germain, the European occultist. During the first years of the 1950s, she worked as an actress in "Camas separadas" of Terence Rattingam, directed by Horacio Peterson at the Caracas Theater Club. In 1955, she published her autobiography titled "Memorias de una loca" (Memories of a crazy woman) and in 1967 her book "Del guayuco al quepis". However, it was in the field of composition and musical interpretation, where she did her more fruitful work. Her folk and popular music included more than 40 compositions, like "Chucho y Ceferina" (A couple of natives), "La Negrita Marisol" (A creole girl), "Venezuela Habla Cantando" (Venezuela speaks like singing), and many others. She inspired Chabuca Granda, a Peruvian composer, with its songs dedicated to her country and to nature when at that time, in Peru, " people mainly sang to broken hearts” she says. These are songs that never go out of fashion. The miracle of the popular song is that different countries perform it in their own way.” The last years of her life were exclusively dedicated to the study of Christian metaphysics. In 1977 she published a series of works about this topic, among them: "Metafisica al alcance de todos" (Metaphysics for Everyone) (1977) and "Misterios develados" (Unveiled Mysteries) (1979) and "El librito azul" (The blue booklet).She was born in Caracas and died in Miami, Florida, United States.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 11, 1898 (Caracas), Died November 26, 1979 (Miami)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-015814 10-in. 10/29/1937 Chucho y Ceferina Lorenzo Herrera ; Los Llaneros Vocal and instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BS-021883 10-in. 4/4/1938 Tierruca Raúl Izquierdo Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor VE-311 10-in. before 11/11/1949 Cuento de hadas Maria Teresa Acosta ; Ulises Acosta ; Orquesta Radio Caracas ; Jesús Sanoja Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and piano composer  
Victor VE-313 10-in. before 10/14/1949 Venezuela habla cantando Maria Teresa Acosta ; Orquesta Radio Caracas ; Jesús Sanoja Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor VE-314 10-in. before 12/6/1949 Déjame Maria Teresa Acosta ; Orquesta Radio Caracas ; Jesús Sanoja Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and piano composer  
Victor VE-315 10-in. before 10/14/1949 El joropo nacional Maria Teresa Acosta ; Orquesta Radio Caracas ; Jesús Sanoja Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor VE-320 10-in. before 1/3/1950 Maldeojo Maria Teresa Acosta ; Orquesta Radio Caracas ; Jesús Sanoja Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and piano composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Méndez, Conny," accessed November 5, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105189.

Méndez, Conny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105189.

"Méndez, Conny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105189

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