Jiver Pop Vocal from Chile (Canción de la película / Song from the movie "Las Recién Casadas" (1962)
First studio recording: EP Hispavox HH 17-91 (1959) Spain / EP Gamma - GH 17-91 (1959) Mexico / EP Alvorada - H 11.017 (1959) Portugal etc...
Covered by The Delta Rhythm Boys as "My Sunday Baby" (English version) [ Ссылка ]
Also in French "Un Telegramme", and covered by many others...
Ana Nora Escobar (January 05, 1938 - April 21, 2008), known professionally as Monna Bell,
was a Chilean singer who made a career in Spain, Mexico & others Latin American countries.
In the mid 50s, Monna Bell was barely in her teens when she took part in a talent-search contest held at Radio Minerias, then Chile's most popular radio station.
Her voice and style won over the listeners, and she became a regular at the station's live music shows.
She was praised by her ability to sing both romantic ballads & swinging jazz tunes and blues, rare qualities in a Latin artist.
Sometime in 1956 she was asked by prestigious band leader Roberto Inglez to join his group as a vocalist for a 3-week stint at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Miss Bell and the band had such a success that they stayed for a whole year in the Big Apple.
From there they toured Europe, but in Madrid the young vocalist decided to go solo after receiving an attractive offer from that city's best nightclub "Pasapoga".
Monna Bell at the Pasapoga was a huge success, and she became a favorite of Spanish audiences.
By 1959 she was recording for Hispavox a repertoire of romantic songs which included a cover of The Platter's "My Prayer" ("Rogar"), the theme song from the Hollywood film "Anastasia" and a Spanish version of "Woman in Love" ("Una Mujer Enamorada") from "Guys and Dolls."
That same year she was invited to appear at the first "Benidorm International Song Festival" held at Alicante, Spain and her rendition of a jazzy novelty tune titled "Un Telegrama" made quite a sensation, winning the top award.
Her recording of "Un Telegrama" became an international hit both in Europe and Latin American, making Monna Bell a top recording artist.
From then on it was hit after hit for the vocalist including "La Montaña," "Silencio Corazón," "Aun Te Sigo Amando," "Envidia," "Tómbola" and many others which spread her fame all over the world.
She recorded with orchestras led by top musicians such as Augusto Algueró Jr., Gregorio García Segura and Bebo Valdés.
Monna Bell combined her recording activities with live performances and television work.
Between 1962 and 1964 Mexican film producers featured her in three films: Las recién casadas (1962), Los secretos del sexo débil (1962) y Buenas noches año nuevo (1964), just to take advantage of her popularity as a singer.
Around this time she settled in Mexico and married cinematographer Alex Phillips Jr.
The marriage did not last long.
Monna's reputation as a hit maker followed her for many years, and in 1968 she left the Hispavox label and signed with Mexico's Musart.
However, the Musart sessions relayed heavily on Spanish covers of the USA and U.K. hits and although these assured her air play on Spanish language radio stations everywhere,
The excitement of the first years was gone.
In the 1970s she left Musart and signed with Orfeon where mediocre material, bad arrangements and worst production values sabotaged her career.
She was quickly forgotten by both the public and the music industry, ignoring the facts that she had one of the greatest voices of the century and had served as inspiration to a whole new generation of vocalists and songwriters.
The relationship became an enduring friendship and offered the promise of a grand return for Monna Bell, but it never happened.
In 1993 Miss Bell recorded for Sony "Monna Bell Ahora," an album composed and produced by Juan Gabriel which went into oblivion as soon as released.
Juan Gabriel blamed Sony for failing to promote the album properly, but critics pointed out that the selection of songs was the main culprit in this debacle.
One critic wrote: "Miss Bell's voice is as great as ever and her interpretation retains the genius that made her a legendary vocalist, but there's not much she, or anyone else, can do with this boring material."
 Another fact that compromised Miss Bell's legacy and possible discovery by new generations was the dismal absence of her greatest recordings in record catalogs and radio stations. Executives at Hispavox (Spain) and Musart (Mexico) seemed totally ignorant of Monna Bell's place in Latin music history and consequently have no clue on how to market her product properly.
The hopes for a true artistic return vanished on April 21, 2008.
While recovering from a successful colon cancer surgery, Monna Bell died of cerebral hemorrhage at a hospital in Tijuana, where she was residing to be close to her daughter and grandchildren.
Born, 5 January 1938 - Santiago, Chile / Died, 21 April 2008 Tijuana, Mexico. R.I.P.

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