Graciela Naranjo was born in
Maiquetía, Vargas. Orphaned at seven, she was moved to
Caracas to be raised by her aunt. She started to sing
Christmas music in a church choral group at age nine, then made her professional debut at
Broadcasting Caracas when she was only 15. Largely self-taught, she had a warm
contralto voice as her innovative
behind-the-beat phrasing and emotional intensity that she put into the words she sang, served to turn novelty tunes and light songs into definitive, bolero-based treatments. From the mid-1930s through the late 1940s, Naranjo shared stages with many prestigious visiting artists from around the world, including
Ary Barroso,
Carlos Gardel,
Tito Guízar,
Agustín Lara and
Pedro Vargas, to become a notorious celebrity while her audience greatly increased. She also made films in Venezuela next to
Amador Bendayán and
Alfredo Sadel, among other important artists, appearing in
Romance aragüeño (1939),
Misión atómica (1947), and
A La Habana me voy (1949). She also was backed up by the famed
Orquesta Anacaona in a couple of songs that were recorded in Venezuela in 1943. With the establishment of television in Venezuela in the early 1950s, Naranjo hosted her own TV show at the now-defunct
Televisa from 1954 to 1955. At this time, she received contract offers from
Colombia,
Cuba,
Mexico, and
Puerto Rico, but chose to stick around Caracas and raised a family instead of pursuing an international artistic career. She put off potential success until finally becoming a major TV attraction while in her 40s, retiring in 1961 in the
Renny Ottolina TV show. After that, she performed on a periodic basis on radio, universities and nostalgia shows until the early 1980s. == Personal life ==