Over a delicious Peter Allen(don’t you love having cocktails in the Castro?), I was asked to choose my all-time favorite musicians. Now I live for all types of music from Puccini operas to the occasional hyphy jam. So choosing just a few favorites is like choosing my favorite pieces of art or favorite Degrassi episode. Nonetheless, I ventured into the question with gusto and these were my picks, in no particular order:
Female Artists:
*Shakira: Never mind her peroxide curl wearing, quasi belly dancing, sometimes goofily translated English, the girl was a kickass rockera and still writes some of the most heartfelt lyrics in Spanish.
*Lola Beltran: If I were a ranchera singing diva, I’d want to be Lola. All throaty sobs and almost masculine energy, she was ahead of her time and served as the counterpoint to the male romanticos. Plus her signature song, “Soy Infeliz”, kicks off my favorite movie, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
*Stevie Nicks: Mysterious and ethereal yet powerful, Ms. Nicks overcame her delicate beauty to write some of Fleetwood Mac’s poetic hits. Her voice is one in a million.

Male Artists:
*Trio Los Panchos: Three guitars, three voices, and decades of the most romantic songs ever recorded. They are the embodiment of Latino sentimiento.
*Luther Vandross: There will never be another Luther. Like Los Panchos, he transformed the love song and gave us so much heart and soul.
*Johnny Cash: The Man in Black was all raw emotion. He was tough and tender, brash and vulnerable.