The singer that captured disco floors and won the hearts of Scotland’s national team has sadly passed away
One half of the Spanish duo Baccara, María Mendiola, has sadly died at the age of 69.
Mendiola and her singing partner, Mayte Mateos, were best known for the hit 1977 song, ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ a track that saw a second life after it was adopted by Scotland’s national team throughout their Euro 2020 journey.
María Mendiola, who sang the disco anthem Yes Sir, I Can Boogie, has died at the age of 69https://t.co/VkN8jplPJs
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 12, 2021
Her passing was announced by fellow bandmate, Cristina Sevilla – who had been singing alongside Mendiola for over a decade after she and Mateos parted ways (Marisa Pérez came after).
In a post uploaded to her Instagram, Sevilla said: “My dear Maria, a wonderful artist but above all my friend left us today”. As well as speaking of how difficult this news was to share, she added: “I can only thank so much love for how I have received from you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTrkyOPje7n/?utm_source=ig_embed
The original pairing, who were both flamenco dancers who entertained tourists on the island of Fuerteventura, came together in 1977 to release ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ as their first single.
They were soon picked up by RCA and the single was dropped in the UK, topping the charts in ten different countries. Mendiola went on to re-record the song with Sevilla in 2016 and it even went on to return to the charts as it once again became popular thanks to videos of Scottish footballers singing the classic disco track.
You can find hear the full, heartwarming story of how the track came to be the unlikely anthem of the Tartan Army over the past year or so.
Rest in peace, María – we’ll belt out a bit of ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ in your honour.
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