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Gabi Lunca

'Doua mame pentru-o fata'

Musicians:
Gabi Lunca - voice
Ion Onoriu - accordion
plus other folk musicians

Label - Electrecord, Romania

Gabi Lunca accompanied by folk music ensembles led by Ion Onoriu, Constantin Mirea, and the Brothers Gore.

'Gabi Lunca was born into a musicians' family in Varbilau commune, Prahova County. She was motherless when she was only 3 years-old, a misfortune that was to mark her entire childhood and later on, was to turn into a boundless love for children. She has been singing since she was 13, first with her father, a remarkable violinist, at the same time serving her apprenticeship alongside the folk music orchestra of the worker's club in Baicoi.

She shot to fame in the traditional artistic ambience of Ploiesti, being invited to sing with the Folk Ensemble of the May Day Club conducted by the unforgettable accordion player Sile Ungureanu, with the Army Ensemble in Plojesti and with the "Flacara Prahovei" Orchestra of the Plosti Philharmonic under the baton of the outstanding violinist George Botez.

Aged 18, Gabi Lunca was invited to come to Bucharest by the people's artist lonel Budisteanu, under whose baton she was to make her debut on the radio, also having her first singles released by the Electrecord Company. It was practically a double success: fiddler's music was played on the radio and she tried to make a name for herself among the great fiddlers in Bucharest.

She married Ion Onoriu, a well-known accordion player and conductor, jointly participating in the big folk music concerts in Bucharest and across the country, concerts presented by the Horia Serbanescu- Radu Zaharescu couple.

In the ensuing years, she kept recording traditional fiddler's music together with the Radio folk music orchestra conducted by its concert master, violinist Constantin Mirea, enjoying the support of such renowned instrumentalists as Nicolae Florian, Marcel Budala the Gore brothers, etc. Mieluta Bibescu, Costel, the trumpet player and the matchless cembalo player Toni lordache were members of the orchestra led by Ion Onoriu.

Gabi Lunca with her unmistakable voice succeeds in passing from one state of mind to another with an ease specific only to the great performers, from songs with a deep significance that you just want to listen to, to drinking and party songs exalting joy and love; she also stands out as a writer of lyrics and songs which she performs in an original style.'

Gabi Lunca

'Doua mame pentru-o fata'