• Submitted by: manso
• Arts and Culture
• 03 / 18 / 2011

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Press release from the United State Postal Service:  March 16, 2011 in Austin, Texas, the Postal Service issued a Latin Music Legends commemorative stamp in five designs, in a pane of twenty 44-cent stamps. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland.

With this stamp issuance, the U.S. Postal Service honors five musicians and performers of the Latin sound whose contributions have had a lasting impact on American music — Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. Among the distinctive musical genres and styles represented are Tejano, tango, samba, Latin jazz, and salsa.

For these stamps, artist Rafael López, San Diego, Calif., painted portraits of the musical artists designed to evoke their personality, vitality and even their sound. He used a warm palette of colors to suggest the flavor and energy these artists brought to their work.

Art Director Ethel Kessler says, "My goal was that when you see the stamp, you hear the music."

Source: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2011/03/