Early career Interested in singing, composing, dancing and playing the guitar from a young age, she quickly developed an interest in songs that were romantic and had a social message. She was featured at the Teenager's Matinee along other youth performers, signing at locales like the
Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Benítez joined Leonor Constanzo at
Caribelandia, a show held at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic that became a hit after it aired through Radio Santo Domingo. She continued performing there for a month. The song "Ya No Te Puedo Olvidar" was released along this song and also gathered airtime, reaching number 8. Lucecita Benítez, along
Chucho Avellanet and Al Zeppy were brought in to
WKAQ-TV to appear in a segment known as
El club canta la juventud. When she was starting, Benítez acted along Gladys Rodríguez in
Como se llama esta flor. By November, both of her singles remained in the Puerto Rico Hit Parade. In February 1965, Benítez traveled to Venezuela for the first time, earning positive reviews from the newspaper
La República. An LP record released in 1965 included three hits, "Entonces él me besó", "Dile" and "Yo te Perdono". In June 1965, Benítez won La Estrella De Oro, an award given to the most popular foreign artists in Venezuela. She performed at the
Fiestas Patronales at Cidra and Comerío,drawing crowds. Meanwhile, Avellanet released the cheek in tongue single "Lucecita", a comedic homage. Benítez joined
Myrta Silva's musical titled
Vida Latina Extravaganza, starring opposite Teddy Trinidad. In August 1965, she headlined
Teenage Command Performance along Julio Ángel. Benítez also participated in miscellaneous events, such as the inauguration of the Country Club Shopping Plaza and entertaining the foreign athletes during the
Central American and Caribbean Games. In September 1965, Benítez released "Vete con Ella", "El Club del Clan", "El Rebelde" and "Vuelve Ya", all of which made the Puerto Rico Hit Parade. In October 1965, she tied with
Sonia Noemí in a musical debate held at New York. A cover of Duo Dinámico's "Esos Ojitos Negros" was released by Benítez during the summer of 1966, becoming a hit. This was followed by the LP "Olé Lucecita!", which became the top selling album on the island led by the single "Al Lado". She was part of an homage to
Rafael Hernández Marín held at the
Festival Anual de la Música Puertorriqueña. In November 1966, Benítez acted along
Braulio Castillo and Arturo Correa in the theatre production
Operación Tiburón at Teatro Modelo and Teatro Matienzo. She received an homage from the Asociación Recreativa de Vista Alegre, in her native town. Benítez’s music was featured in the film
Machuchal: Agente "O" en New York, a film that debuted in December 1966. In February 1967, she joined more than a dozen artists and groups participated in an event for actress Laura Martell after she underwent cardiac surgery. In March, Benítez traveled to Chicago. Benítez won the Yunque de Oro Award at the Popularity Contest sponsored by Producciones Rabelo & Ledesma. Benítez continued making appearances in television, being featured in programs like
Canta la Juventud and
El Show de las 12. She was among the artists sponsored by
Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Rexach Construction Co. for their activities. While
Canta la Juventud continued its run at Telemundo, Benítez and Avellanet appeared in musical shows in other time slots, including
Marcando el Ritmo. In December 1967, the LP
Quién Soy was released. That same month Benítez received an award from
WKVM after defeating
Raphael in a musical debate. Benítez was featured in a homage concert held in honor of
Shorty Castro at Mayagüez. She was mentioned in an anthropological article published by Eugenio Fernández Méndez in Puerto Rico Illustrado, where the influence of multiple sources on Puerto Rican culture is discussed. She joined several artists in a "homage to the people" held at Parque Sixto Escobar in May 1968. She was among the top three local artists in popularity in April and May 1968. When Trans-Tel Corporation inaugurated a Spanish-language channel in New York, Benítez was recruited to appear in its programming. She won a trophy as the most popular artist of the year from Producciones Rabelo y Ledesma. Beginning in June 1968, she headlined the
Show de Lucecita Benítez which aired in Telemundo at 12:15 p.m. as part of the
Show del Mediodía. The show was produced by
Eddie Miró with choreography by Ita Medina and was retransmitted in New York Wednesdays on Channel 47. She also appeared in
Paquito Cordero's film
El curandero del pueblo (1968), starring along Adalberto Rodríguez. When Raphael returned for another tour of Puerto Rico, Benítez was recruited to perform. In December 1968, she received a trophy after winning another musical debate. The
Show de Lucecita Benítez was awarded the 1968 Premio Agüeybaná for best 15-minute musical show. She helped the Asociación del Corazón raise funds in an event sponsored by WKAQ.
Winning the Festival Mundial de la Cancion Latina In April 1969, Benítez entered the first edition of the
Festival Mundial de la Cancion Latina, where she represented Puerto Rico along
Danny Rivera. The festival was held at the Teatro Ferrocarrilero in Mexico. She participated with two songs,
"Génesis" by
G.V. Lloveras and "Energía de mis manos", by M. de Jesús. By winning the second eliminatory with 222 points (29 over second place
Tony Renis), Benítez broke a trend of dominance by European performers with previous experience in similar events, which was regarded as a surprise. She also won as best dressed performer, also sporting an afro that symbolized her ethnic background. In the final she scored 228 to win the competition, a medal for Best Singer and an award for Best Melody, Dekalafe of Brasil finished second with 210 points. Pedro Rivera Toledo's arrangement of Genesis also won as the best arrangement, although the orchestra was conducted by Jose S. Marroquin. Benítez was contracted by
RCA Records for their Spanish label, the first of
Paquito Cordero's artists to sign with the multinational. Days later and still in Mexico, she transmitted a show dedicated to Puerto Rico via satellite following the festival. Both Benítez and Rivera arrived to Puerto Rico on April 2, 1969 and were received by the local public. Ruth Fernández publicly congratulated Benítez. The freemasons, in particular their Logia Sol de Libertad, also joined the various congratulations. Panamanian singer
Silvia de Grasse composed "Lucecita", a merengue that commemorated her performance at the festival, which was recorded as "Lucecita Campeona" by Los Alegres Tres. Her win was widely celebrated in Puerto Rico and abroad, by people such as her Santo Domingo Fan Club, while
Nydia Caro replaced her in the afternoon show. The entire event was retransmitted locally trough
WAPA-TV. The arrival of Benítez and Rivera was televised live through
WIPR-TV, with a victory caravan attended by thousands taking place from the airport to Viejo San Juan. Besides her fan clubs and politicians from all parties, the Federación de Músicos de Puerto Rico and the Asociación de Productores y Profesionales del Entretenimiento (APATE) attended the event. She was gifted with several things, including flowers, an official legislative motion, a municipal ordinance, the Key to the City of San Juan and an welcoming event at
La Fortaleza. Benítez was invited to the
Cannes Festival, to perform at the Luigi cafe of Mexico and to headline a series of events at the
Caribe Hilton. The homages, both civil and official, and professional appearances were numerous during the following days, but ultimately took a toll on her health and forced a brief hospitalization due to physical exhaustion and traveled abroad to treat a sinus infection. She became known as
La Reina de la Juventud and regarded the principal performer of the "a gogo" rhythms in Puerto Rico. Benítez recorded an orchestral cover of "Genesis" as a single, which became a hit upon release and the top song in Puerto Rico. Another song, "Cuando se Está Triste" also entered the Top-25 as did "Lucecita Campeona". Benítez performed along José Feliciano in a special program transmitted to Latin America. The APATE dedicated its congress and the municipality of Bayamón its Fiestas Patronales to her. Banco Popular produced a show titled "El Espectacular de Lucecita", which was a hit and aired twice on television. She spent her time between New York, San Juan and recording an LP and television specials at Mexico, retaking her role in
El Show de Lucecita Benítez, including a special edition that aired on prime time on a Sunday. She also filmed
Un Amante Anda Suelto. The Federación de Organizaciones Femeninas de Puerto Rico gave Benítez an award for her civic work.
International tours In her first foreign film appearance, Benítez starred along Alberto Vázquez in a Hermanos Galindo production titled
Un Amor en Puerto Rico. Her stay at Luigi's Cafe was successful and attended by Mexican celebrities and actors, featuring a repertoire composed by "La Vida", "Se Acabó", "Dime Dolor", "Picolísimo", "Como lo hice yo", "Esperaré", "Por Amor", "Niega, Niega" and "Mi Propio Yo". The single "Hasta que me oiga Dios" made it to the Top-15, before climbing to the Top-10 in Puerto Rico. Benítez continued her Mexican tour with appearances at the Guadalajara and Monterrey plazas. At television, Benítez appeared in the weekend show
Siempre en Domingo. Following her Mexico tour, Benítez underwent a surgery related to her previous infection, before leaving to Madrid for an appearance at El Pabellón. When the Festival de Popularidad created its Hall of Fame at the Radio City theatre, Benítez and Avellanet were its first inductees. At Puerto Rico, the
Show de Lucecita Benítez continued its run during the summer. Teatro Corcelles featured
Tres Puertorriqueñas y un Deseo, in which she starred along Braulio Castillo. Hilton contracted her to headline shows at the Caribe Hilton and San Gerónimo Hilton. In September 1969, Benítez starred in
La Taberna de las Estrellas at the Puerto Rico theater in New York. Afterwards, Benítez made her debut at the Teatro San Juan at Chicago. She signed to appear in four Spanish films. In September 1969, the
Madison Square Garden approached Benítez to make multiple appearances at the venue. Then mayor of New York,
John V. Lindsay, gave Benítez a merit plaque for winning the Festival. Benítez was given a judging role at the
Segundo Festival de la Canción Dominicana. Along Braulio Castillo, she was awarded for her foreign success at the
Festival Codazos. Benítez, who had been an athlete in the past, collaborated to raise funds for the
Puerto Rico Olympic Committee (COPUR) in an event named
El Show Olímpico de Puerto Rico. She opened 1970 by filming a special edition of the
Show de Lucecita Benítez with
Sammy Davis Jr. for Telemundo. She also helped the Teatro Coop-Arte raise funds, both for the entity and for other initiatives. Her album “Lucecita en la Intimidad” debuted among the Top-10 in Puerto Rico. In April 1970, Telemundo aired
El Show Especial Internacional de Lucecita Benítez, filmed in Mexico. She collaborated with the municipality of San Juan on an event held to commemorate the Day of the Environment. She participated in a charity event held at Casa de España to raise funds for Peru following an earthquake. While she continued busy working in filming along the likes of Antonio Morales Jr. and Rocío Durcal, the single "El Rebelde" was a Top-5 hit in Puerto Rico. Besides this song, this LP included the singles "No quiero perderte", "Dónde Estoy" and "Qué te doy". She returned to New York to join Grace Mireya de la Vega and Los Apollo Sounds at Teatro Puerto Rico and the Jefferson Theatre. While meeting this schedule, Benítez continued hosting her show on a regular basis. Her performances gained positive reviews as far away as Italy. Benítez spent another season at the Caribe Hilton, during which she abbreviated "Genesis" to 30 seconds, displaying exhaustion of performing it so often. With her participation, the ratings of
El show del Mediodía continued increasing. The Caribe Hilton also contracted her for the peak tourist season, the first tome that a Puerto Rican artist performed in that slot. She was among several artists that performed at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium during the fall. While she continued being a fixture of local television, Benítez made an appearance at the
Ed Sullivan Show which was taped on November 14, 1970. She participated in a homage that the
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP) held for
Ruth Fernández. The appearance in the
Ed Sullivan Show was originally scheduled for 1971, but the positive reviews surrounding her performance in
Casita María in New York hastened the process. In February 1971, her single "Todas las Mañanas" entered the Top-5 in Puerto Rico. Her ubiquitous run on local television continued with
Mi Estrella Favorita con Lucecita Benítez receiving the noon spot as part of the
Show del Mediodía in April 1971, while
Show de Lucecita Benítez made prime time appearances on Sundays. She was contracted to make appearances at the Quid in Ciudad Mexico, debuting on May 6, 1971. That same month, the single "Por Mi Orgullo" entered the hit charts in the Top-25, climbing to the Top-20, the Top-10 and peaking in the Top-5. She acted along Frank Moro in
Tú, Mi Amor. In August, she headlined at El Pavillón at Madrid, also making television and radio appearances. Benítez recorded an album that would be distributed in Europe by RCA Spain, while Hit Parade released it in Puerto Rico. Benítez won WAPA's popularity contest over
Lissette Álvarez by 2,000 votes, for which she received a trophy. She also won a rematch of sorts, once again winning WKAQ's popularity contest, this time by 2,096 votes. In September 1971, Benítez returned for another season at the Caribe Hilton, where she was joined by Teddy Trinidad, besides her Spanish repertoire she also sang the English songs "You’ve Lost That Lovin’" and "Feeling". Parallel to this, the single "Gitanito" entered the Top-10 in Puerto Rico. Despite her schedule, Benítez still made appearances for the general public in some smaller towns, such as an event held at the Arquelio Torres Court at San Germán. During the spring of 1972, Benítez participated in an event to raise funds for other artists. Prior to her tour in Spain for the
Festival de la Canción de Benidorm, the Senate of Puerto Rico approved a resolution wishing her well. In August, she performed along Danny Rivera and Oscar Solo at the Jefferson Theatre and Teatro Puerto Rico at New York. Benítez appeared along Avellanet, José Miguel Class and Lissette in WKAQ's
Súper Especial. The group also headlined a charity show to raise funds for Fondos Benéficos Unidos which aired on the same channel. Beníyez was featured in
Fernando Cortés's
Tonta, Tonta, Pero no Tanto which included scenes performing the song "Todas las Mañanas". She began another season at the Caribe Hilton during the fall of 1972. To close the year, the municipality of Mayagüez contracted her to perform in the inauguration of the Plaza Colón. In May 1973, Benítez became the first Puerto Rican artist to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo as part of a tour that included appearances at Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega and La Romana. Afterwards, she recorded an LP, which included "Soy de Una Raza Pura, Pura y Rebelde" and "Camino Abandonado" which were hits. She continued including popular events, such as Fiestas Patronales, in her schedule. In September 1973, WKAQ-FM hosted her for an entire day, during which she interpreted numerous songs from her career. After returning to the Caribe Hilton for another season, Benítez left for Madrid to record another LP. In November 1973, Benítez, Avellanet and Rivera traveled to New York to make appearances at Madison Square Garden and the
Carnegie Hall. Upon returning to Puerto Rico she joined Rivera and Rosita Velázquez in a concert to benefit the employees of the Administración de Compensaciones por Accidentes de Automóviles (ACAA). Meanwhile, she participated in a Valentine's Day special that aired on WKAQ. Benítez appeared in the charity tele-marathon for the muscular dystrophy association.
Going independent She joined Pedro Rivera Toledo and Víctor Cuchi to create the Taller Puertorriqueño de Teleconciertos with the intent of producing concerts and television content by themselves, beginning with "Traigo un Pueblo en mi Voz" which was recorded at Teatro Sylvia Rexach. Benítez aired these specials beginning in December 1974 and for the following months. She continued making less frequent television appearances in shows such as
Estudio Dos. Benítez presented the “En las manos del pueblo” event at the Helio Isla hotel and at Radio City. In 1975, she was among the honorees of the municipality of San Juan during the International Year of the Woman. In January 1976, Benítez began offering a tour of concerts at low prices, which began at
Isidoro García Stadium in Mayagüez. She also appeared in
El Súper Show for Channels 11, 9, 8 and 44. During the summer, the Ponce chapter of the Federación de Mujeres Puertorriqueñas and the Círculo José de Diego sponsored her concerts. She returned to the Fiestas Patronales, this time at Moca. In September 1976, Benítez presented
Traigo un Pueblo en mi Voz at the Teatro Sylvia Rexach. Benítez was one of the artists featured in the ICP's
XI Festival de la Música Popular, which honored Rafael Hernández. She was featured at the
Conferencia Puertorriqueña de la Mujer, organized by
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, offering a free concert where she offered her version of songs composed by
Antonio Cabán Vale. Benítez returned for another season at the Caribe Hilton during the summer of 1977. She was one of the artists featured in a television documentary about Puerto Rico that aired on national television in Spain. While performing at the Caribe Hilton, she organized a concert at
Teatro Tapia which featured the repertoire that was featured at the hotel, the first offered at the venue after being restored. During the fall, Benítez performed at the Ocho Puertas nightclub in Viejo San Juan. She also made celebrity appearances in events such as
Señorita Puerto Rico, helping select the representative for the municipality of Ponce. She closed the year by participating at
Tierrazo, an event that gathered several artists at the
Roberto Clemente Coliseum and was transmitted by Channel 11 in March. Her album adaptation of "En las Manos del Pueblo" received a nomination for Album of the year at the ACE Awards organized by the New York-based Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos. Benítez made television appearances at
El Show de Charytín, hosted by fellow singer
Charytín Goyco, and
Balcón Boricua. She was part of the Puerto Rican delegation that participated at the
Festival Mundial de la Juventud y los Estudiantes. Benítez returned to the Caribe Hilton during the summer of 1978, during which Channel 11 recorded the
Especial de Lucecita Benítez that aired in September. Benítez and Alberto Carrión hosted an event at the UPR where they interpreted music based on the poetry of
Julia de Burgos and
Luis Palés Matos. She also headlined the anniversary of the Ocho Puertas night club and the Christmas event of the Unión de Mujeres Americanas. During the 1979
San Sebastián Street Festival, Benítez and other artists performed to raise funds for the restoration of the
San José Church. On March 9, 1979, Benítez was expected to sign "
La Borinqueña" prior to the start of the Wilfredo Gómez vs. Néstor Jiménez fight, but she wasn't allowed to sing the revolutionary version of the song written by
Lola Rodríguez de Tió and ultimately not picked up for the presentation. She was one of the artists featured at the
Concierto de la Mujer held at Bayamón. Afterwards, she returned to TWKAQ-TV for an episode of
Noche de Gala and the station's 25th anniversary show. In April 1979, Benítez joined
Ismael Miranda in a concert at the theatre of the University of Puerto Rico. The following month, she began recording her first crossover LP into the salsa genre. During the summer, Benítez participated in
Concierto Margarita 2, to raise funds for children with cerebral disabilities. Benítez headlined the
Primer Concierto Panamericano, which was filmed at
Castillo San Felipe del Morro and transmitted live. Afterwards, she joined Danny Rivera, Roy Brown, Aires Bucaneros and Haciendo Punto en Otro Son in
Y Ellos Se Juntan, a concert to raise funds for
Jacobo Morales'
Dios los Cría film and which was transmitted through Channel 11. Benítez was featured in the movie
Festival: Mundial de la Juventud produced by the Cinemateca Nacional de Puerto Rico and directed by José García and filmed at the eponymous festival. In October 1979, she performed at the Palace Hotel at Isla Verde.
Genre diversification and experimental stage She performed at the
VI Festival de Arte de Verano at San Juan. Benítez co-starred in the telenovela
Vida along Johanna Rosaly. She opened 1980 by returning to Ocho Puertas for another season. Benítez reunited with Avellanet to perform at
El Show de Chucho Avellanet. Her stay at the telenovela was short and she released another LP and resumed her concerts with one to raise funds for Vieques. Benítez continued participating in charity events, with the next being for Telecadena Pérez Perry for the benefit of the Sociedad de Niños y Adultos Lisiados. She participated as an invited artist in a concert offered by Lourdes Jímenez and Roxana Badillo at Viejo San Juan. In November 1980, Channel 11 aired a Taller Estudio musical special with the participation of several artists, including Benítez. In December, she made her return to Teatro Tapia and performed her past hits, songs from her latest production and some Christmas music. Benítez participated in the Ponce Holiday Inn's Valentine Day’s event, accompanied by the Pedro Rivera orchestra. In March she offered a concert at the UPR, before leaving in a Latin American tour that included stops at Panama and Santo Domingo. Benítez was the main artistic show at the Carita awards held at the Hotel San Juan. Afterwards, she repeated this role at the
V Festival del Peinado, a beauty and styling event. Benítez also appeared at the
Noches de Salsa y Nostalgia at Velasco in Carolina, helping raise funds for the
Ashford Memorial Hospital. She repeated her appearance at the Super Telespecial for the Sociedad de Niños y Adultos Lisiados. During the summer of 1981, she made a return to the Caribe Hilton. Benítez was invited to participate at the first
Boricua Festival at Chicago, which was organized by the Coalición Acción Latina. She was among several artists that were approached by the COPUR to aid in raising funds for the Olympic delegation. In December, Benítez headlined a show named
Lucecita es Lucecita at Centro de Bellas Artes. The show was later presented at Teatro Tapia. In April 1982, Benítez and Orvil Miller performed at Mayagüez in a show named
Concierto de Estrellas. Afterwards, she made an appearance in
El Show de Iris Chacón, which was retransmitted throughout Latin America. She released
Criollo folklore, an unedited production. Afterwards, she began another Latin American tour. By this stage in her career, Benítez had opted to mostly ignore the commercial aspects of the industry and experiment with several musical rhythms besides the typical ballads. While at the hotel, she participated in a popular concert titled
Un Sábado en tu Plaza organized at Bayamón. After returning from the tour, Benítez returned to the Centro de Bellas Artes. During the spring, she held a concert at Ponce. When
Rubén Blades finished his collaboration with
Willie Colón, he chose Benítez to be his counterpart in the concert
Salsa y Sentimiento, which featured the debut of his band Seis del Solar. During this time, she was pondering creating her own record label and was preparing the first stages of her participation in the zarzuela Cecilia Valdés. She sang "Que te vaya bien", "Uno", "Que tal te va sin mí", "Vuelve el impostergable", "Aubao Moin", "Medley Romántico" and "Según el color", finishing by singing Blades' repertoire of "Plantación Adentro" and "Tiburón". Benítez joined
Cheo Feliciano and
Los Rayos Gamma in the
Concierto de la Cooperacion, sponsored by the cooperative movement. She once again returned to the tele-marathon for the Sociedad de Niños y Adultos Lisiados, serving as the closing act. During the fall, Benítez returned to perform at the Caribe Hilton. She began working on her first production of Puerto Rican traditional music with Alberto Carrión, also the first under her own label. She received the Sol del Yunque award from the Club Cívico de Damas de Puerto Rico. She also joined Avellanet for the concert
Amigos at Centro de Bellas Artes and the UPR. During the winter, Benítez was featured at the 8va Feria de Artesanía Bacardí. She also joined Avellanet for the concert
La Música de Roberto Cole at Viejo San Juan and the Palacio de Recreación y Deportes at Mayagüez. Benítez also made other presentations at the western coast, such as at the Café de Las Lonas in San Germán. When the municipality of Bayamón refurbished the Teatro Braulio Castillo, it's new main room was names after her. To open 1984, the ICP dedicated the San Sebastián Street Festival to her, Danny Rivera, Félix Rodríguez, Antonio Rodríguez Vera and the medalists at the
1983 Pan American Games. Benítez joined Avellanet in a charity concert for the Hospital del Niño. She then collaborated with Ballets de San Juan, for their 30th anniversary season. Benítez held a concert for the Week of the Secretary at the Condado Convention Center. Two weeks later, she helped the Asociación Puertorriqueña del Corazón raise funds at the Condado Plaza Holiday Inn. Benítez then headlined the
Son Borincano Festival. During the summer, she returned to the Caribe Hilton for another season. Parallel to this, Benítez participated in the
Festival Latino at New York, during which she healined the
nueva canción show. In August, she offered the concert “Lucecita… Canta para ti” at Caguas. Benítez made an appearance at the
Festival Interamericano de las Artes, participating in the popular music category.
Grabaciones Lobo In November 1986, Benítez acted in
La verdadera historia de Pedro Navaja in the role of Miss Reignhold. Parallel to this, she recorded the LP
Éxitos Callejeros under her record label, Grabaciones Lobos. Teatro Tapia invited her to perform her concert inspired on the poetry of Julia de Burgos along Alberto Carrión. She also resumed making television appearances, becoming a recurrent act in Cordero's
El Show de las 12. When Avellanet debuted a new show on Teleluz, Benítez was the invited artist. She then participated in a charity event to raise funds for fishermen from Vieques following a series of swells that caused the destruction of their equipment. Benítez returned to perform at the Fiestas Patronales. Her show about Julia de Burgos was modified to also include Silvia Rexach and the Ballets de San Juan, being named
Dos Musas del Agua, being presented at Centro de Bellas Artes during the spring of 1985. She was a mentor at the
Festival de Nuevos Talentos. She appeared at
La noche de nuestra música, which aired trough Channel 6 and 3. In May 1985, Benítez returned to the Caribe Hilton, this one based on music from the 1940s and 50s. She was among the artists that performed at the PEN Club awards. She then headlined a nostalgia based concert named ''The Rolling 20's
to raise funds for the Asociación contra la Distrofia Muscular”. Benítez continued her nostalgic tour with her own stage production Lucecita en nostalgia'' at the Centro de Bellas Artes. Outside of music, she participated in a fashion show for the benefit of citizens affected by a series of floods. Benítez, Avellanet and Gilberto Monroig recorded the music of Roberto Cole in a production of the ICP. She was featured on WAPA-TV's 1985 New Year's Eve special. She participated in the
Cumbre Criolla, a tour of traditional Puerto Rican music, along Antonio Cabán Vale, Roy Brown, Andrés Jímenez and other artists. For the Week of the Woman, Benítez held a concert at the UPR and at the
Feria de la Mujer at Viejo San Juan. She recorded the main theme of TeleOnce's
Ellas al 1/2 día. Benítez then presented
Lucecita en Nostalgia at the Quality Royale hotel at Miramar. She headlined the show commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Centro de Bellas Artes, being accompanied by Trio Los Condes. Benítez participated in a charity concert to benefit writer
Abelardo Díaz Alfaro. She was the subject of
Voz y Sentimiento de una Estrella a television special directed by Jesús Burgos and aired on Channel 6. Benítez was one of several artists featured in the
Festival de Apoyo al Músico Puertorriqueño. She collaborated with José Nogueras in his single "Que me quieras". She made television appearances for
Peña en Down Beat and
Estudio Alegre. During the summer of 1986, Benítez released
Nostalgia Vol. I, the first of an intended trilogy. Afterwards, she participated again to the annual tele-marathon for the Sociedad Nacional de Niños y Adultos Lisiados. During the following months, she participated in other charity events, in favor of the Pueblo del Niño and the Red Cross. Benítez then held a series of shows at the Hotel San Juan, which featured content from her
Nostalgia production.
Second international phase Afterwards, Benítez traveled to Argentina for the
Festival de Teatro de Córdova, where she presented
Pedro y el Capitán, a play written by
Mario Benedetti. Benítez participated in the tele-marathon in benefit of the muscular dystrophy association.
Cumbre Criolla was recorded and released as its own LP and her participation at the Centro de Bellas Artes anniversary became the television special
Noche de Luz. She also presented the show
Añoranzas at the Condado Convention Center, which also raised funds for the mentally handicapped. Benítez collaborated with
Plácido Domingo, Danny Rivera, Nidya Caro and Los Hispanos in
Gala de las Estrellas in benefit of cancer research. She also presented “Nostalgia” at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. Benítez was the invited artist in Ballets de San Juan
Trilogía show. She also joined José Nogueras at the Caribe Hilton. When the Torch of Peace arrived to Puerto Rico, she participated in the
Fiestas Puertorriqueñas de la Paz. Benítez opened 1987 by performing at the Collage night club at Manatí. In mid-January, she released
Nostalgia Vol. II under her Grabaciones Lobo record label. She participated in Telemundo's Valentine's Day special and on February 14 joined
José José in a concert at Santo Domingo. In March 1987, Benítez brought an encore of
Traigo un Pueblo en mi Voz to Centro de Bellas Artes, which was later transmitted trough television. Recognizing that she had focused on the local market for years, she decided to begin an international tour. Prior to this, she made a return to
Estudio Alegre. Despite being focused on foreign markets, she still made appearances in events including a concert for the teachers of Puerto Rico. As the local government organized a commission to celebrate the fifth century of European presence in the Americas, Benítez was brought in to sing the ballet
Julia in an event where similar commissions from the region met at San Juan. During her tour, she experienced success at Argentina, where she made appearances at Teatro Astrol, her songs where adopted for telenovelas and
Éxitos callejeros outranked Madonna and Julio Iglesias to win the Platinum Disc. After collaborating with
Pablo Milanés in shows held at the United States, they were expected to perform in the opening acts of the third
Festival Latino, but an injury to her vocal cords prevented this and forced an extended hiatus. In 1989, the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián were dedicated to her and historian Arturo Morales Carrión and she performed. She acted in the telenovela
Ave de Paso which began transmitting in January. She also resumed her media appearances and released
Traigo un pueblo en mi voz as a LP which reached the Top-5 in sales. During the spring, Benítez returned to Argentina. However, in that country she opted to release another LP
Gaviota del aire, which included aongs already featured in telenovelas. She also broke her business partnership with Interdisc, which had been responsible for distributing “Éxitos callejeros” in South America and owed her money. She also participated at a tele-marathon to raise funds for
Hogar CREA. Benítez also recorded the main theme of the local telenovela
Yara prohibida and
La cuñada. In May, she released the single
Usted señor corazón, a preview of the Gaviota del aire LP. During the summer, Benítez traveled to Habana to participate in the
Festival International de Música. Her first collaboration with Justino Díaz took place as part of the
Gloria y ensueño event held at the Centro de Bellas Artes, which later aired trough Telemundo. In August 1988,
Gaviota al aire began being distributed in Puerto Rico, her first unedited production since 1982 and the sixth released under Grabaciones Lobo and which entered the Top-3. Benítez was invited to the 1988
Buga Festival at Colombia, her first appearance in that country. She then joined opera singer Pablo Elvira in the concert
Camaradería 88. Benítez organized the concert
Aquí nació mi canción in her native Bayamón. She was among the artists that participated in
First Bank’s
Un banco, un pueblo y su música: 40 años de ilusiones concert. The municipality of Bayamón declared December 3 the "Day of Lucecita Benítez". Both
Traigo un Pueblo en mi Voz (50) and
Gaviota del Aire (13) were among the Top-50 LPs sold in Puerto Rico during the year. In January 1989, Benítez participated in
Unidos por Nicaragua, por Roberto Clemente to raise aid for Nicaragua after the strike of
Hurricane Joan-Miriam. She joined Justino Díaz again to raise funds for handicapped children. Benítez collaborated with singer Sebastián in his debut album. On April 16, 1989,
Puerto Rico Illustrado dedicated an issue to her career, in particular to the win at the Festival de la Canción Latina. During this time, she continued making television appearances, hosting cocktails and the occasional civic activity. Benítez was invited to perform at the
Festival de la Cultura Caribeña organized by Casa del Caribe and honoring
Bob Marley. She was honored at the 1989 National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
JC Penney also homaged her at their
Beauty Carnival. In August 1989, Benítez presented the LP
Una mujer sin tiempo, which she immediately followed with an eponymous concert at Centro de Bellas Artes. When the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its 95th Session at San Juan, Benítez was among the artists that performed at the event. She was contracted by the
Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) to promote its long-distance subsidiary. During the fall of 1989, Benítez made her return to theatre as the character “Bloody Mary” in “South Pacific” at Centro de Bellas Artes. She also participated in Estereptempo’s “Encuentro de los Grandes”, along several local artists. Benítez closed the year by participating in Súper Siete’s Christmas special. During the spring of 1990, Benítez was offered a sum of $30,000 to film a commercial for Lopito, Illeana & Howie supporting the sale of the PRTC, but declined. In August 1990, she returned to the Centro de Bellas Artes with another concert titled
Éxitos en mi voz. During the fall of 1990, Benítez returned to New York, where she offered a concert at Teatro Puerto Rico. In December, she made an appearance at the “Vices para la historia” concert presented as part of the Fería de Artesanias Bacardí. ==Personal life==