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Yma Sumac

Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (born Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo; September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008), known as Yma Sumac (or Imma Sumack), was a Peruvian singer. She won a Guinness World Record for the Greatest Range of Musical Value in 1956. "Ima sumaq" means "how beautiful" in Quechua. She has also been called Queen of Exotica and is considered a pioneer of world music. Her debut album, Voice of the Xtabay (1950), peaked at number one in the Billboard 200, selling a million copies in the United States, and its single, "Virgin of the Sun God (Taita Inty)", was a big seller in the United Kingdom, becoming an international success in the 1950s. Albums like Legend of the Sun Virgin (1952), Fuego del Ande (1959) and Mambo! (1955), were other successes.

In 1951, Sumac became the first Latin American and Peruvian female singer to debut on Broadway. In "Chuncho (The Forest Creatures)" (1953), she developed her own technical singing, named "double voice" or "triple coloratura". During the same period, she performed in Carnegie Hall and Lewisohn Stadium. In 1960 she became the first Latin American woman to get a phonograph record star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Afterwards she toured the Soviet Union, selling more than 20 million tickets. According to Variety in 1974, Sumac had more than 3,000 concerts "covering the entire globe", breaking any previous records by a performer. Fashion magazine V listed her as one of the 9 international fashion icons of all time in 2010. She sold over 40 million records, making her the best-selling Peruvian singer in history.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 13, 1922 (Callao (city and main seaport of Peru)), Died November 1, 2008 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1943

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca OA-12504 1943 Indian love Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12505 1943 La benita Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12506 1943 One love Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12512 1943 Beautiful eyes Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12513 1943 The humming bird Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12516 1943 Cholitas punenas Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12536 1943 I love only you Yma Sumac vocalist  
Decca OA-12537 1943 The sun maidens Yma Sumac vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Sumac, Yma," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/345825.

Sumac, Yma. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/345825.

"Sumac, Yma." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/345825

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