A history of Cuban music. “Presentation with audio”

Xiomara Alfaro

Xiomara Alfaro was born in Havana, Cuba in She debuted in 1951 and worked in the most popular cabarets in Havna: Sans Souci, Tropicana and Montmatre. She has recorded numerous albums containing Cuban standards as well as international songs. Many of the selections were sung in a duet with her husband, Rafael Benitez. She recorded at least 12 albums and currently resides in the U.S., where she continues to perform. Click to continue

Zoraida Marrero

Zoraida Marrero was born in Havana, Cuba, in She performed in the Cuban Nights show at Carnegie Hall, which brought together many of the stars of Cuban music in exile. She was the first star to perform at Liborio, the most renowned Cuban cabaret in New York during the 1960s. She died in New Jersey in Click to continue

Fernando Albuerne

Fernando Albuerne was born on October 28, 1920 in the town of Sagua de Tánamo, Oriente province, in Cuba. An accomplished singer, he began touring the United States in In Cuba he was associated with the Radio Suaritos radio station until After the Castro dictatorship came to power in 1959, he was exiled to Caracas, Venezuela, and later moved to Miami, where he stopped performing. He died in Caracas in Click to continue

Olga Chorens & Tony Alvarez

This duet consisted of Olga Chorens, who was born in Havana in 1924, and Tony Alvarez, also born in Havana in They were known as Olga and Tony and were married in Between 1951 and 1954 they were wildly successful radio and TV personalities in Havana. In 1960 the couple was exiled to Puerto Rico, where they continued their musical career with a repertoire of Cuban and international songs. There they also started a new TV show. Tony died at the age of 83 on March 19, Click to continue

Pérez Prado

Pérez Prado was born on December 11, 1916 in the province of Mantanzas, Cuba. He popularlized the mambo and made it a worldwide sensation. Although it was the brainchild of several musicians, Dámaso Pérez Prado was the one who is credited with its popular introduction. He was also the first Hispanic artist to reach #1 on the Billboard chart and he stayed in that spot for 26 weeks with the song entitled “Cerezo Rosa.” He died in Mexico on September 13, 1989 at the age of 73. Click to continue

Celina & Reutilio

Celina González was born in 1928 in Matanzas, Cuban. Reutilio Domínguez was born in Guantánamo in He was a guitarist, composer and singer. The couple married in 1943 and they performed together until they separated in Reutilio died in Between 1964 and 1980 Celina González pursued a solo career. Click to continue

Marisela Verena

Marisela Verena was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba in She has been singing and writing music for more than 40 decades. Regardless of whether she resides in Spain, Puerto Rico or Miami, her Cuban roots stay intact; her voice is warm and firm, and her songs stir deep emotions for her audience. Few artists have been able to capture the essence of exile like Marisela Verena. Click to continue

Matamoros Trio

Matamoros Trio. This is the most influential and popular threesome in Cuban music. It was started in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros, Siro Rodríguez and Rafael Cueto. From the beginning the band had a unique sound, the “bolero-son”, a music rich in harmony but with the strong rhythm of the son. Click to continue

Guillermo Portabales

Guillermo Portabeles was born in Las Villas, Cuba in He was a signer, songwriter and guitar player who popularized the Cuban country style, or “guajiro” music, from the 1930s to the 1960s. His languid and elegant style made him popular throughout Latin America. In 1953 he moved to Puerto Rico where he continued his career until his life ended tragically at the age of 59 in a car accident in Click to continue

Desi Arnaz

Desi Arnaz was born in Santiago, Cuba in He was a member of the Xavier Cuga band in New York. He popularized the conga in the U.S. He was a musician, comedian and actor who starred in the hit show “I Love Lucy” with his wife, Lucille Ball. He died in California in Click to continue

Enrique Chia

Enrique Chia is an accomplished pianist who was born in Las Villas, Cuba. As a child he studied piano.. In 1961 he was exiled to the United States where he earned his Ph.D. in metallurgy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, “Georgia Tech”. He is an accomplished pianist whose mellifluous skill is known worldwide. He lives in Alabama and continues to tour throughout the world. Click to continue

Olga Guillot

Olga Guillot was born in Santiago, Cuba in In 1963 she was awarded the Golden Palm in Hollywood, California. She was a renowned singer and had the distinction of being the first Cuban and Hispanic to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York. Click to continue

Rolando Laserie

Rolando Laserie was born in Santa Clara, Cuba in He earned his fame with his incomparable boleros, “guarachas” and “son”. His trademark raspy voice and aggressive lyrics earned him the nickname “The Tough Guy of Song.” Rolando dies in Coral Gables, Florida in November, 1998.” Click to continue

Willy Chirino

He was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, in 1947 and went into exile in Operation Peter Pan. He is an internationally renowned singer, composer, songrwriter and producer. His autobiographical “Our Day is Near” describes the journey of a child forced to re start his life alone 90 miles from the shores of his native Cuba and is the anthem for all freedom-thirsting Cubans. Click to continue

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estéfan was born in Havana in This five time Grammy winner is an accomplished singer and songrwriter and the Queen of Latin Pop music. Gloria and her husband, Emilio, married in 1978 and started the Miami Sound Machine. They have two children. Click to continue

Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz was born in Havana in The Cuban songstress spent most of her life living and performing in the United States. She married Pedro Knight, who was a trombone player in her band, the “Sonora Matancera.” Celia was one of the most successful Cuban and Hispanic singers of the 20th Century known by her trademark: “Azúcar!”, a testament to her philosophy of life and her Cuban roots. She died in her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey in Click to continue

The End Carlos Vidal ayuda musical.

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