Romica Puceanu was a Romanian Lăutari singer from Bucharest. She began performing at age seven with her father Constantin Puceanu, and later became a soloist with the taraf of the Gore brothers. Her breakthrough came in 1944 when she started performing regularly in Bucharest's bars and clubs. In 1963, she released her first recordings on Electrecord, including two ebonite discs that were later reissued on vinyl. She recorded her debut album Romica Puceanu (1964) with the taraf of the Gore brothers at Electrecord’s Studio Tomis. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she toured internationally, performing in Israel, the United States, Japan, China, and the German Democratic Republic. Known for her unique voice and themes of love, life, and time, she became a leading figure in urban Lăutari music. She died in 1996 following a car accident.
