La Lupe

La Lupe, born Lupe Yoli in Santiago de Cuba in 1936, was a Cuban singer who built her career in New York City after leaving Cuba following the 1959 revolution. She worked across son montuno, bolero, boogaloo, and Latin soul, performing in both Spanish and English. Her intensely physical, emotionally raw stage presence set her apart, and for much of the 1960s she was the most acclaimed Latin singer in New York, largely through her partnership with Tito Puente.