Cano began performing after winning a singing contest at a local radio station when she was ten years old.[1] Later, at age 16, she would perform at the El Paso Coliseum and other Southwest venues.[1] She sang with a band called The Ruby's and the lead singer of the group, Eugene Anchondo, gave her the nickname, "La Perla."[3] Her work, singing with mariachis was groundbreaking, as women were traditionally excluded from that kind of music.[3] Cano's singing has been popular in the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez areas.[4] Around 1979, she began acting on stage.[3] In addition to stage-work, she also incorporates history from the region into her performances.[5][6] One of her shows, Viva Mexico, explores Mexican history through song and dance.[7]
In 1990, Cano was nominated in the first Hispanic Music Awards Show.[8] She was awarded "Best Local Female Mariachi Vocalist" in 1993.[9] One of her performance costumes was donated to the Smithsonian and she has been "enshrined" in the National Archives as a Texas folk artist.[10][11] In 2017, she was inducted into the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame.[12]
