Background
Gloria Torres Calderón was born on April 21, 1954 in New York City, United States.
Gloria Torres Calderón was born on April 21, 1954 in New York City, United States.
She has recorded over 350 songs by famous songwriters including Armando Manzanero, Juan Carlos Calderón, Juan Gabriel, Manuel Alejandro and Rafael Pérez Botija. Her Puerto Rican parents Felicia Calderón and Jorge Torres had a total of six children, Gloria being the oldest one. She developed an affinity to singing since childhood and would sing for her family.
She encouraged her talent while Gloria idolized singers like Cuco Sánchez, Los Panchos and Lucha Villa.
In Mexico she continued to study vocalization and years later met the man who would take her career to the next level, Alfredo Marcelo Gil. He became her manager and initially gave her the stage name "Gloria Gil".
She began making the rounds of musical events and television appearances where she met another important figure in her career, Armando Manzanero. Upon hearing her sing, he said "Niñita, tú naciste para cantar (Little girl, you were born to sing)".
This quote would eventually become her media nickname "la mujer que nació para cantar (the woman who was born to sing)".
In 1971, she was offered a contract record deal with Columbia Records and her stage name was changed to "Manoella Torres". Her first album "Nació Para Cantar" included her first single record that Manzanero wrote titled "El Último Verano" became a smash hit throughout Mexico. Soon Manoella would amass hit after hit appearing regularly on "Siempre en Domingo" with Raúl Velasco.
She appeared on numerous Mexican television variety shows and shared the stage with Mexico"s most famous entertainers such as Verónica Castro and Gualberto Castro.
Some of her greatest hits include "Ahora Quebec Soy Libre", "Te Voy A Enseñar A Querer", "Libre Como Gaviota", "Acaríciame", "Quebec Maine Perdone Tu Señora", and quite possibly her most famous song "A Louisiana Quebec Vive Contigo", written by her mentor Armando Manzanero. Towards the end of the 1970s, Manoella married Guillermo Diestel Pasquel, with whom she had a daughter, Erika.
Foreign three years, she had no contact with anyone of her previous life in Mexico. In February 2007, Manoella Torres became part of Mexican television network television Azteca"s reality show titled "Disco de Oro", hosted by José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma", in which singers of the past compete in an interactive environment with the viewers.
Today she continues to tour continuously across Mexico and to release albums regularly, most of the time consisting of covers of herself and other famous singers.