Manolo Álvarez Mera (né Manuel Ernesto Álvarez-Mera November 7, 1923 – October 16, 1986) was a Cuban-born tenor^[1][2] who flourished as a bel canto^[3] during the late 1940s and 1950s. Despite having an operatic caliber voice, he gained popularity singing in operettas, musical reviews, radio, television, vaudeville, and major night clubs in Cuba, New York, and Latin America. He became a Cuban exile in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution.

Álvarez was born November 7, 1923, to Beniana (née Mera) and Manuel Alvarez in the Luyanó neighborhood of Diez de Octubre, Havana, Cuba. After formally studying voice in Havana, Álvarez performed for the first time in public at the Teatro Principal de la Comedia (Main Theater of Comedy) in Havana in 1943, singing the role of Niño Fernando in María la O [es], a one act zarzuela, a characteristically Spanish genre of lyric and dramatic theatre. The lyrics were by Gustavo Sánchez Galarraga (1893–1934) and the music by Ernesto Lecuona. Maruja González (1904–1999) sang the soprano role of Mary la O. He went on in 1944 to perform at the Teatro Lírico Cubano (Lyric Theater of Cuba), singing in La Plaza de la Catedral (The Cathedral Square), a zarzuela by Lecuona. He sang the same work for radio stations RHC-Cadena Azul and CMQ.

He then performed in several zarzuelas, including Luisa Fernanda, Los gavilanes [gl; es], La leyenda del beso [es; eu], La dolorosa, and Cecilia Valdés, which also included singers Maruja Montes (1930–1993), Rosita Fornés (born 1943), Zoraida Marrero (1911–2004), Esther Borja (1913–2013), Sarita Escarpentier (born 1925), Dorini de Diso (1901–1948), Miguel de Grandy, Antonio Palacios, Jesús Freyre, and Gregorio Barrios [es; eu] (1911–1978).

On September 16, 1947, he appeared as a soloist in the musical revue Violins Over Broadway at the Diamond Horseshoes Night Club in New York, produced by impresario Billy Rose.^[4] The show ran for two years.

In 1950, Álvarez moved to Rio de Janeiro and performed in São Paulo and on several Brazilian radio stations.

In 1952, Álvarez toured Chile including visits to Buenos Aires and Montevideo. His performances were acclaimed by the Cuban magazine, Carteles.^[5]

In his Uruguay radio concerts, Álvarez was hailed "Sir Hyperbole!" Many of his interpretations, including María la O; Granada by Agustín Lara; and Ay-Ay-Ay by Osmán Pérez Freire, were interrupted with applause, and he was forced to repeat them three or four times. The night of the farewell, as he went on stage, the audience — more than two thousand excited people — threw a rain of carnations and roses, forming a cloak over him. The program was interrupted for a long time by this emotional tribute.

Álvarez continued his tour to Brazil and also returned to Buenos Aires. He had an exclusive recording contract with Victor and recorded Granada by Agustín Lara and Despedida by María Grever with the RCA Orchestra under the direction of conductor Vieri Fidanzini.

Álvarez returned to the United States in 1951. Accompanied by the Carlos Molina Orchestra (1899–1982), Álvarez sang Granada in a short 1953 film Carnival in April released in 3D by Universal. The film also featured Toni Arden, Josephine Premice, and Fernando Rodriguez. On April 4, 1954, he appeared on the television show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, with Eddie Cantor. He also appeared at the Flamingo Las Vegas with Freddie Martin.

By mid-March 1953, Álvarez had been studying for six months with Arthur Rosenberg.^[6] On April 18, 1954 — Easter Sunday — Álvarez sang The Lord's Prayer in a sunrise national broadcast produced by David Rose at the Hollywood Bowl with conductor Miklós Rózsa.

In 1954, he appeared as a featured singer in New York at the Waldorf Astoria with Freddie Martin and His Orchestra. He also appeared at the Edgewater Beach in Chicago, and the Skyroom at the Mapes Hotel in Reno. He held a principal role in the production Spanish Fantasy, a show that toured America, performing at venues that included the Terrace Room at the Statler Hotel in Los Angeles.^[7] and the Empire Room at the Statler Hilton in Dallas. He also sang on the NBC television program Saturday Night Review, Coast to Coast.

In August 1955, Álvarez was featured in a Tropicana production of Evocación (Evocation) and Seis Lindas Cubanas (Six Pretty Cubans) the latter referencing the six provinces of Cuba (before the Revolution). The production was staged by Rodrigo Neira, who was known as "Rodney".^[a] The show was presented in a telecast from Medellín, Antioquia, and was a review of nineteenth century Cuban dance and music. Other performers included Xiomara Alfaro, Cuarteto Faxas,^[b] Estelita Santaló,^[c] Cuarteto d'Aida, Leonela González,^[d] the dancers Ana Gloria and Rolando,^[e] and the Lago Sisters Trio.^[f][8][9]

The same production, with mostly the same artists, including Álvarez, was presented in a telecast April 21, 1956.

He sang to replace the voice of Mario Lanza in the 1958 film, Seven Hills of Rome.^[g]

In February 1958, Álvarez headlined in the Copa Room at the Hotel Habana Riviera with Cuarteto d'Aida.^[10][11] Among his last stage performances in Cuba, he was acclaimed for his appearances in the theater as Ivan Marti in La leyenda del beso (1959) and Rosillon in The Merry Widow (1960). In Cuba, he performed on television, in theaters, on several recordings, and in casinos, which included the Tropicana and Hotel Capri.^[1]

In 1959, Álvarez sang on TV Adiós, Granada in Emigrantes, a zarzuela composed by Tomás Barrera Saavedra [es; ca] (1870–1938) and Rafael Calleja Gómez (1870–1938). Other performers in that production included Alfredo Kraus, Miguel Fleta, Victoria de los Ángeles, Tito Schipa, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Hipólito Lázaro, Pepe Romeu, Juan García, Luis Mariano and Misha Alexandrovich. (On Archive.org)

On February 2, 1960, he was acclaimed by the Diario de la Marina as "the First Tenor of Cuba and one of the best in the world," for his headline performance in Noche Cubana, a live evening national telecast by CMBF-TV [es]. Other singers included Barbarito Diez, María Teresa Vera, Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, and the group Cuarteto d'Aida.^[12]

On August 21, 1960, Álvareze was a guest on the Ed Sullivan Show, singing Mattinatta.

Álvarez married Delfina Cougil Fernandez (born 13 March 1925). They had two children, Teresita (Terry) (born 1959) and Manuel (born 1961). In 1963, he settled in New York, where he died on October 14, 1986.^[2] He had lived at 216 West 102nd Street in Manhattan.

† The song "Always in My Heart" received an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Song," in the 1942 film, Always in My Heart, losing to "White Christmas" from the film White Christmas. Nonetheless, some critics regard Álvarez's recording of "Siempre en mi corazon" as the best performance of the song.

‡ "Mattinata" ("Morning"), written in 1904, was the first song ever written expressly for the Gramophone Company (the present day HMV).

• Article Manolo Alvarez-Mera. Available at www.soncubano.com. Accessed: August 19, 2011
• Manolo Alvarez Mera's photo, courtesy University of Miami

• "Genesis" on youtube.com
• "La Viuda" ("The Merry Widow") on youtube.com