María Mendiola, one of the two singers of the Spanish group Baccara, has died. The group had a huge hit in the 1970s with Yes sir, I can boogie. Baccara also represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978. María Mendiola turned 69 years old.
Baccara consisted of Mayte Mateos in addition to Mendiola. Together they performed as flamenco dancers for tourists on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura. There they were discovered in 1976 by the German record executive of RCA-Records who offered them a contract.
Biggest Success
The music they released at RCA was a mixture of pop music and disco with a touch of flamenco. Baccara sang songs in English, but with a Spanish accent (only Mendiola actually spoke English). The singers were always dressed in black (Mateos) and white (Mendiola).
In 1977 they had a big hit with Yes sir, I can boogie, the single sold 18 million copies and Baccara became the first Spanish group in history to reach number 1 on the British charts and in many other countries in Europe. Also the successor Sorry, I’m a lady did well in the European charts.
Watch a performance of Baccara in Avro’s Toppop here.
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