Possessing an extraordinary four-octave vocal span, Yma Sumac was reputed to descend from Inca royalty as an Incan princess counted among the Golden Virgins. Her unconventional approach turned into a sensation within early-’50s pop. While her album artwork highlighted eccentric attire and a curvaceous physique, persistent gossip insisted she was merely a housewife called Amy Camus. Regardless, no comparable figure has appeared in popular music history either before or afterward.
Legend described her as the sixth child born to an Indian mother and an Indian/Spanish father, who brought her up within Quechuan traditions. Local festivals hosted her earliest performances before the family relocated to Lima, Peru. There she joined the Compania Peruana de Arte, a group comprising nearly 50 Indian singers, musicians, and dancers. In 1942 she wed Moises Vivanco, director of the Compania. Four years afterward, Vivanco, Sumac, and her cousin Colita Rivero established the Inca Taqui Trio and relocated to New York. By decade’s end they appeared regularly in Manhattan nightclubs and on radio and television broadcasts, most prominently Arthur Godfrey’s TV program, while also becoming regulars on the Borscht Belt and throughout the Catskills.
Capitol Records signed her as a solo act in 1950 and issued her debut, the 10" Voice of the Xtabay, that same year. Issued with limited promotion, the album gradually gained traction, prompting Capitol to launch an extensive promotional push. Her Broadway debut came in 1951 with the musical Flahooley, which incorporated three Vivanco compositions; the production closed before year’s end. Even so, her momentum accelerated through continued hit releases and sold-out engagements nationwide, among them appearances at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, alongside tours of Europe, South America, and Las Vegas nightclubs. In 1954 she performed in the film Secret of the Incas, which starred Charlton Heston.
By the close of the ’50s her following had diminished and she no longer commanded the same currency she enjoyed earlier in the decade. Anticipating further erosion of interest, Sumac withdrew from public view in the early ’60s without disclosing her whereabouts. A few surprise live appearances occurred in the mid-’70s, followed in 1987 by a three-week engagement at New York’s Ballroom nightclub and a concurrent residency at a Los Angeles venue. Occasional concerts worldwide continued afterward.
Although performances remained infrequent during the ’90s, renewed attention arose when alternative-music enthusiasts rediscovered the exotica recordings of the ’50s. This resurgence culminated in the 1996 CD reissue of her complete catalog.
