Merceditas Valdés has been played on NTS shows including Fergus Clark, with Ochun first played on 17 October 2022.

Merceditas Valdés (1928-1996) was a Cuban singer.

Valdés was born in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood in Havana on 14th October 1928. When she was twelve years old, and without her parents´consent, she applied to compete in "The Supreme Court of Art" (a programme that launched the careers of many musicians); she sang two pieces: "Babalú", a theme popularised by Miguelito Valdés, and "La negra Mercé" by Ernesto Lecuona. She was granted an award, the first of many.

Her career began with the singing of Yoruba religion prayers in…