The memory of Pia Beck lives on in Torremolinos

It is comforting to know that memories of many of the great figures who helped change the world are still alive and kicking. Maybe the younger generation doesn't yet know of her but, for the majority of Torremolinos' residents, Pia Beck was, is and will always be, one of its treasured residents. Very soon, thanks to the local association Pasaje Begoña, one of Torremolinos' streets will bear her name. Neither she nor her faithful life partner are here with us to enjoy the honour, but it might make those who wander down that street ask, "Who was Pia Beck?" Then they just might discover the story of a really brave woman.

Woman, professional musician, lesbian, defender of the LGBT collective, entrepreneur, a shining light. Pia Beck was all of these throughout the decades when the world still did not give them the value and voice they deserved. She was born in The Hague (Netherlands) in 1925 and came to be considered by many to be the best jazz pianist in the world.

She was a true child prodigy who, at the age of four, was already playing the piano by ear. She fought against the tide all her life and got her reward: worldwide recognition thanks to her international tours, especially in the USA. However, it was not there that she decided to spend her days, but in Torremolinos (first in Malaga).

Her only descendant is still there, fighting to keep her memory alive in a town that gave her so much. "She was a strong woman, a fighter and she radiated light, but it wasn't easy living in a man's world," pointed out Gino Felleman. He might not be of her blood, but he has always been her son. To explain why, one has to know their story. Gino's biological mother was called Marga Simonowski, a German of Jewish origin who fled in WWII to the Netherlands with her family.

It was there that Marga met her future husband, Pete Felleman, marrying him at the age of 18. He was a well-known music radio host and that led to him creating good ties with Beck, then the talk of the town in the world of jazz. At a party he introduced Pia to his wife, Marga. From then on nothing was ever the same.

"It was fate," stated Gino, who knows the story well even though he came into the world later.

"Pia fell in love with my mother the moment she saw her. She knew that Marga was married, but she couldn't get her out of her head. Pia always knew that she was attracted to women but it was not the case for Marga, she fell in love with Pia's soul. She first became Pia's best friend, then she began to see her in a different way," Gino added.

When fate decides, there is no point trying to go against it, especially in the face of the love of two empowered women ahead of their time. "When I was born, I had two mothers. We were a normal family unit like any other," said Gino proudly. When the couple decided to move to Torremolinos in the 1960s, tourism was booming and, to all outward appearances, social freedoms were permitted, although the reality for homosexuals under Franco's rule was very different.

"In Spain I certainly had problems for having two mothers. School was awful, a nightmare. The children pelted me with rotten tomatoes and threw insults at me. The teachers did nothing to protect me," Gino stated, with sadness. Yet the three of them formed a strong bond and they pushed on, together. Besides, Pia's musical fame ensured that some respect was still shown.

Pia, supported by Marga, decided the time was right to get into business. She found premises in Pasaje Begoña and turned it into one of the most renowned nightclubs in Torremolinos, one of the first jazz clubs in Spain and, above all, a place where they could fly the flag for free love.

The Blue Note opened in 1965. It soon became legendary, elegant, where people flocked to listen to Pia's talent on the piano as they sipped their drinks. Even the internationally famous went through its doors, bedazzled by the Dutch musician and also by the atmosphere of freedom, pride and equality that emanated from all the music bars and nightlife in Pasaje Begoña - places where no one was labelled. However, after several financial issues, the Blue Note closed its doors in 1969. With its closure Pia and Marga escaped what came to be known as "the great raid".

The darkest episode in the history of Torremolinos occurred on the night of 24 June, 1971. The Francoist police by order of the civil governor of Malaga, Víctor Arroyo, shut down Pasaje Begoña with a violent raid, culminating in 300 arrests and more than twenty premises closed for "violating the regulations in force regarding public morality and appropriate behaviour in a public place" - in short, for being LGBT, or as they were called then, "sexual inverts".

With the club closed and Marga busy raising her children, Pia resumed her music career with international tours. She also opened an estate agency, created a jazz programme in five languages on Radio Juventud (youth radio) and wrote three tourist guides on the area for Dutch travellers, contributing greatly to the tourism boom in Torremolinos.

Both Pia and Marga had a long and full life, together with Gino, who also worked in the tourism sector. Despite living in difficult times, the couple's love was always stronger than any homophobia directed at them, and they showed it until the very end. Marga passed away in 2009 at the age of 84; six months later, Pia followed. Their love knew no boundaries; despite everything they were able to live freely.