You may think you’ve never heard the music of Lydia Mendoza, whose stamp, the first in the new Music Icons series, was released on Wednesday, May 15. But if you’re a movie fan, think again!
Mendoza sings her best known song, “Mal Hombre,” on the deluxe soundtrack for the 2010 film Crazy Heart. The film starring Jeff Bridges won two Oscars, but not surprisingly, the soundtrack of this movie about musicians also turned out to be a hit, and won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Lydia Mendoza keeps some excellent company on the CD, which also features Townes Van Zandt, Waylon Jennings, Greg Brown, and Kitty Wells. Legendary 10-time Grammy winner T-Bone Burnett produced the disc. And if T-Bone is a Mendoza fan, that’s an excellent reason to add her to your playlist!
Mendoza’s music also appears in another popular film, the 1996 John Sayles hit Lone Star. On the soundtrack of the film, appropriately set in her home state of Texas, Mendoza performs “Jurame,” a love song by Mexican composer Maria Grever. According to the soundtrack review on Amazon.com, “this collection of country, blues, norteño, R&B, and folk songs . . . [with] strong performances from Lucinda Williams [and] legendary Mexican songstress Lydia Mendoza . . . give Lone Star heft far beyond most cinematic song compilations.” We couldn’t agree more.
Celebrate one of the first and greatest stars of Tejano music with this First Day Cover bearing an affixed Lydia Mendoza (Forever®) stamp and an official First Day of Issue postmark. Click the image for details.
If you’ve never seen these two films, the soundtracks are a fun way to meet a true music icon. Also be sure to check out our brand spanking new Lydia Mendoza playlist, created just for you on Rdio. Let us know what you think. What songs would you add?
The Lydia Mendoza Forever® stamp is currently available at usps.com/stamps and at Post Offices around the country. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.