Biography

Monna Bell (January 23, 1938 – April 22, 2008), whose birth name was Nora Escobar, was a Chilean singer who enjoyed a successful career in Spain, Mexico and other parts of Latin America. She was reportedly one of Juan Gabriel's muses. Bell was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1938. In the mid 1950s, she was barely in her teens when she won a talent contest held at Radio Mineria in Santiago and became a regular at the station's live broadcasts. Her voice caught the attention of band leader Roberto Inglez who, in 1956, hired her as a vocalist for his group and took her on a three week gig at New York's Waldorf Astoria. They went over so well that the band and its brand new singer stayed for a year. Next they toured Europe and in Madrid Monna had such a phenomenal reception that she decided to go solo becoming a big sensation at the Pasapoga, the city's most fashionable night club.