Yma Sumac dies November First

A very talented soprano singer from Peru named Yma Sumac has passed away just this month.

Yes, I know you don’t have a clue who that is. I didn’t either. But her presence in a Charleton Heston film means that classic film buffs would.

Because I found it via my Friend DocMystery, I will let him say it better than I could:

I just learned that noted Peruvian soprano singer Yma Sumac, a woman whose voice spanned an incredible 4 octaves, died on November 1st.

Her voice was featured on many so-called “exotica” and “lounge music” albums, and I have one of her CDs in my car.

Here’s a snippet of her singing at the end of the never released for home video or DVD film “Secret of the Incas” (1954) starring Charles Heston, the film that many say suggested the ‘look and feel’ of Indiana Jones.

I leave you with her melodious song. Very haunting and beautiful.

Who knows if this film inspired the look of Indy, but that voice will haunt me.

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5 thoughts on “Yma Sumac dies November First

  1. I knew that song sounded familiar!

    Wow, whatta voice.

    Seems very likely this film helped inspire the look of Indy… weren’t Lucas and Spielberg trying to recreate the Saturday matinees of their childhoods? This was probably one of them.

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