María Dolores Flores Ruiz, also known as Lola Flores, (January 21 ,1923 – May 16, 1995) is a Spanish pop cultural icon. Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Flores was an actress, bailaora, and singer, known for her witty and over-the-top personality. Lola Flores had a long artistic partnership with Manolo Caracol, and they starred in several movies together singing flamenco music, coplas (Spanish popular music), rumbas, and rancheras.

In 1951, Flores signed a five-film contract with Suevia Films for a value of 6 million pesetas— the largest contract for a performing artist in Spanish history at the time. Under that contract she starred in major productions like La Niña de la Venta (1951), ¡Ay, Pena, Penita, Pena! (1953), La Danza de los Deseos (1954) and El Balcón de la Luna (1962), among many others, which spawned the signature songs “A Tu Vera” and “¡Ay, Pena, Penita, Pena!” She is considered to be the “biggest exporter of Andalusian culture to date,” and was popularly dubbed as La Faraona. During her life, she performed in more than 35 films and recorded over twenty albums, which she toured throughout Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Flores’ friendship with Celia Cruz began in her youth, when La Faraona came to work in Cuba. These two emblematic stars of Cuba and Spain finally joined forces on stage in the 90’s. Both were already legends in their homelands and abroad when they performed “Burundanga,” a song Cruz made famous in the 50’s with the band Sonora Matancera. This duet went down in history and was performed several times in Cuba and Spain. The friendship between Lola and Celia transcended time, and after Lola passed away in 1998, the Queen of Salsa paid tribute to her in a spectacular homenaje (homage) that was broadcast on Spanish television.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Flores
https://abimelecvelasquez.blogspot.com/2019/12/celia-cruz-y-lola-flores.html