Maria Grever: Remembering the Musical Genius You Didn’t Know You Knew

Maria Grever: Remembering the Musical Genius You Didn’t Know You Knew

From Latino USA by My Cultura, Futuro and iHeartPodcasts

March 27, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of Mexican composer Maria Grever, highlighting her contributions to music and the importance of remembering women in the industry.

In 1916, a Mexican composer named Maria Grever moved to New York City with her two kids. She went on to write about 1,000 songs until her death in 1951. She composed numerous top charting hits, scored for the big movie houses, wrote operas and Broadway musicals. One of her biggest hits from 1934 received a Grammy and yet many have never heard her name. Maria Grever the person is a mystery, making her one of the most famous unknowns in music history. Join us on a quest to find out everything we can about this prolific composer and why it’s important to remember the women who came before us. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on  TikTok  and  YouTube . Subscribe to our  newsletter .   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Maria Hinojosa

Topics covered

  • music
  • history
  • women in music
  • cultural impact
  • biography

Keywords

  • Maria Grever
  • Mexican composer
  • New York City
  • Grammy
  • music history
  • operas
  • Broadway musicals
  • prolific composer
  • women in music

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Grammy, Pulitzer Prize

Places: New York City, U.S.

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