OBITUARY MOREEN “LA MARRURA” SILVER

She came, she saw, she conquered

IN LOVING MEMORY

MOREEN SONDRA SILVER, 13 January 1942, Jacksonville, Florida, USA – 10 March 2021, Madrid Spain

Moreen came to Spain for the first time in 1966 accompanied by her then husband, the guitarist El Cristo from California.

Prime Minister of Spain Felipe Gónzalez, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, King Juan Carlos of Spain, second from the left to the right, at the Royal Palace/Moreen Silver

She was a loving, ingenious, dedicated and intelligent person. Which traits made her a popular photojournalist who was a habitué at the Royal Palace, the embassies, museums and other like places to cover such significant events as banquets, state visits and cultural happenings.

In 1978 she founded and managed Silver Press, a press agency that supplied sport, show and concert photos to international news media.

Communist leader Santiago Carillo, right, a crucial figure in Spain’s admirable transition from the Franco dictatorship to democracy/Moreen Silver

Moreen was a valued photographer of the GUIDEPOST, Spain’s oldest continuously-published magazine in English, until age made it impossible for her to go on. However, she remained a beloved friend of the magazine up to the last. She left a priceless legacy of photographs that bear witness to the Franco era and the early years of democracy in Spain.

Spanish diva Sara Montiel, foremost exponent of the cuplé  music genre and acclaimed actress at home and in Hollywood/Moreen Silver

Along parallel lines, Moreen’s passion for the guitar and singing (guitarra y cante) put her in close contact with Paco de Lucía, Camarón de la Isla, Tomatito and other iconic Flamenco artists in Madrid and Andalusia. After cutting a record, she became a cantaora in her own right, adopting MARÍA LA MARRURA for her stage name. In 1971, she performed with guitarist Juan Habichuela at the world-famous Noche Flamenca del Albaicín in Granada.

For many aficionados, La Marrura was the foreigner who best interpreted flamenco, especially the Sigiriya, the deep and expressive cante jondo category of flamenco music.

Moreen will live on in our hearts.

By Silver Press Barcelona
Featured image supplied

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See Moreen singing her cante during an interview with TV host Jesús Quintero on Canal Sur Televisión:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMPC5qXnvUM