The Spanish singer María Mendiola from Baccarat is dead. She died on Saturday at the age of 69 in Madrid, her family said. Mendiola was “the one with the red hair” of the Spanish women duo. Her partner was the singer Mayte Mateos, “the one with the black hair”. With “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” the two landed a disco world hit in 1977. In the following two years they were considered to be the world’s most successful singing duo. The two Spanish women met and became friends at the Spanish television ballet. They made themselves first as flamenco dancers and singers under the name Venus independent. During a performance on Fuerteventura, three representatives of the record company RCA Records from Hamburg recognized the potential of the two. Soon, with the help of German producers from Venus, the Duo Baccara – named after the hybrid tea rose of the same name – started a mega success story with the first album, especially the single “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie”. “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” was number 1 in 18 countries. In Germany, the record is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Baccarat was also successful with songs like “Sorry I’m a Lady”, “Ay, Ay Sailor” and “Darling”. The duo represented Luxembourg at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest in Paris. With “Parlez-vous français?” it took seventh place. However, the success did not last long: the two Spaniards split up in 1982 in an argument. Both tried their luck first as solo artists and each formed new groups. For years, two duos called Baccara existed at the same time. But neither of the two singers could build on the earlier success. Mendiola was revered as a glamorous diva by gays in many countries. Most recently she worked with the Spanish singer Cristina Sevilla.