Bienvenido Granda, born Rosendo Bienvenido Granda Aguilera (

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, August 30, 1915 -

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, July 9, 1983), was a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n vocalist/musician, singing

boleros Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

son montuno Son montuno is a subgenre of son cubano developed by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1940s. Although ''son montuno'' ("mountain sound") had previously referred to the ''sones'' played in the mountains of eastern Cuba, Arsenio repurposed the term to den ...

guarachas The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in Cuban musical ...

and other Cuban rhythms. He was best known for having been the lead singer of the Cuban ensemble

Sonora Matancera La Sonora Matancera is a Cuban band that played Latin American urban popular dance music. Founded in 1924 and led for more than five decades by guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer Rogelio Martínez, musicologists consider it an icon of ...

in the 1940s and 50s. For sporting a prodigious

mustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

, he was nicknamed ''El bigote que canta'' (The mustache that sings) and ''El bigote que canta con estilo'' (The mustache that sings with style).

Biography

Bienvenido Granda was

orphaned An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

at six years of age. He discovered his talent for singing various Cuban rhythms and tango as a child when he sang for spare change on buses in

. He traveled to Puerto Rico in 1941. The purpose of the trip was to record with the popular group Cuarteto Marcano. Two songs were recorded. Bienvenido Granda made several appearances on Cuban radio stations such as Radio Cadena Azul, Radio Cadena Suaritos, Radio Progreso and Radio CMQ. This was done as a way of gaining wider exposure. In 1942, Bienvenido Granda became the lead singer with one of the most popular bands of all Cuban/

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

bands, the legendary Conjunto

. Bienvenido Granda performed, recorded and achieved his greatest success with La Sonora Matancera until 1954, the year in which he began his solo career, having left the group after a bitter argument with Rogelio Martínez, its director, over money. ''El bigote que canta'' wanted to be paid more than his fellow band members even though La Sonora was a cooperative. His legacy with the band is unmatched as no vocalist recorded more songs with La Sonora Matancera than Bienvenido Granda. He put on vinyl over 200 songs with this group. After leaving Sonora Matancera Bienvenido Granda performed in several

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

countries. He settled in

as a result of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

. Bienvenido Granda sang several of the different musical genres created in Cuba, being especially proficient in the guaracha. He was also a fine bolero singer.

Discography

*''Romance'' Tropical *''16 exitos con la Sonora Matancera'' * Volume 14 of ''Big Leyendas de la música II'' *''Musical History'' *''Canta Sus Exitos''

Success

These songs, all recorded with the immortal Sonora Matancera, are among his greatest successes: *La ola marina *Echa pa'llá chico *Vacilón: two slightly different versions *Qué jelengue *El cuento del sapo *Machuquillo *Pugilato *Manteca *Qué lengua más larga *Lo que es la rumba *Yo la mato *Feliz viaje *El ajiaco *Esa sí es cheque *Cuco-cheche-malo *El bobo de la yuca *Vive como yo *Fiesta brava *Se formó la bronca *Tocando madera *El velorio *Ya se rompió el coco *Tu precio *Y del Vedado que *Florecilla de amor *Cinturita *Ya se peinó María *Oro falso *Ya se rompió el muñeco *Dejastes *Tumba y quinto *Pan de piquito *Espérame un rato más *Eso se hincha *Sarará *Hay que dejarse de cuento *Calla *No me eches la culpa *Dónde están los rumberos *Señora *Angustia *Qué dichoso es *En la orilla del marla Orilla del mar
/ref> *Pecastes de infiel *Sujétate la lengua

References

External links

Bienvenido Granda

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granda, Bienvenido 20th-century Cuban male singers 1915 births 1983 deaths Cuban emigrants to Mexico