Hermanas Padilla

Mexican American female vocal duet, consisting of lead singer Margarita Padilla Mora (born 1918) and her harmonizing sister María Padilla Mora (born 1920). The sisters were born in Tanhuato, Michoacán, but grew up in Los Angeles, California, where their family moved in the 1920s. After playing at local fiestas and on the radio, they cut their first record, "La Barca De Oro / Por Qué Será" for Vocalion (2) in 1937. It became an instant hit. Assisted by composer, arranger, and producer Manuel S. Acuña, who conducted at many of their earliest recording sessions, the sisters soon gained success in the southern United States and northern Mexico. They performed Mariachi, Bolero, and Ranchero styles. Becoming one of the most popular Mexican American singers of the 1930s and 1940s, they recorded more than 400 titles.