Gilda’s star shone brightly for just six years but she left behind a lasting
legacy, one immortalized in 2016 biopic I Am Gilda (The Latin Music Saint). The
life and death of the Argentinian cumbia icon born Míriam Alejandra Bianchi in
Buenos Aires on October 11, 1961 was one of struggle, success, and tragedy. A
former gardener and physical education teacher, Bianchi cut her teeth as a
backup vocalist in tropical band La Barra, after meeting composer and
keyboardist Juan Carlos "Toti" Giménez. She later joined the band Crema
Americana. Bianchi chose the namesake Gilda in homage t...