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Carlos Manuel Puebla (; 11 September 1917, Manzanillo – 12 July 1989,
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.
) 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 singer, guitarist, and
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
. He was a member of the old trova movement who specialized in boleros and patriotic songs.


Biography

Born into a modest family, he did several types of manual jobs during his youth (carpenter, mechanic, sugarcane worker, shoemaker), but quickly became interested in music, and especially in the
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
. He learned how to play the instrument by himself, but he did study harmony and theory of music. He began composing during the 1930s, and met with a certain amount of popularity in his native city. He recorded with his group ''Los Tradicionales'', formed in 1953. From 1962 he was a regular performer in ''La Bodeguita del medio'', a bar-restaurant in Old Havana which was a favourite haunt of Cuban and foreign intellectuals. Politically he stood beside
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
before the 1959 Revolution. In 1961, he went on tour in several countries with his musicians. His music, as well as his political activity, turned his concerts into a success. He was thenceforth called ''El Cantor de la Revolución'' (the singer of the revolution) and other world tours followed. A song of that clearly reflects this notion is the song titled, ''Para nosotros siempre es 26''; A song that refers to the Moncada assault against the Batista government that ultimately failed and became the symbol of the revolution. More than an ambassador for Cuban music, he was an ambassador for Cuba. In 1965, the night after
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
's speech announcing
Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
's departure from the government, Puebla, seized by passion, composed what would become his most celebrated work, ''Hasta Siempre, Comandante'', a true declaration of love for and hope in Che Guevara. On 12 July 1989, he died in
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.
after a long illness. His ashes were transferred to the cemetery of his native city five years later. A plaque there reads: ''yo soy ésto que soy, un simple trovador que canta'' ("I am what I am, a simple troubadour who sings").


Works

Puebla began by writing love songs, such as ''Quiero hablar contigo'' (I want to talk with you), ''Este amor de nosotros'' (~This love of ours), ''Serenata cubana'', ''Canción definitiva'', ''Qué sé yo'' and ''Te vieron con él'', which later became successes, and also ''Cuenta conmigo'', ''Quién se lo iba a imaginar'' and ''Hay que decir adiós'', popularised by the duo Clara and Mario. From the beginning of the 1950s, he sang of the difficult living conditions of his people and challenged
Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also ...
's dictatorship with such songs as ''Plan de machete'', ''Este es mi pueblo'' and ''Pobre de mi Cuba''. His lyrics were serious and direct. Specifically, the Moncada assault of 1953 against the Batista Government impacted him and inspired Puebla to immortalize the date with the song, ''Para nosotros siempre es 26.'' Along with his serious and impactful music, his poems also held power. With the use of humor and irony, a collection of his poems criticizing the inefficiencies of the society and economy reflect what the common Cuban citizen felt during the revolutionary time period. His poems: ''Cine en Televisión'', ''Cosa Ocurrida, La Espera'' and ''Otra nueva ilusión'' embody the thoughts and common sentiment of the Cuban community and give an understanding as to what they desired, change. In ''Cine en Televisión,'' Puebla explains how the same old films are shown on this television show and that it is redundant and boring, craving something new and entertaining. ''Cosa Ocurrida,'' tells the funny story of a newspaper boy who always arrives late with the publication, but one day he arrived early which made everyone celebrate however, it turns out it was with the newspaper of the day before. An analogy for the arrival of items they need due being late to the strict regulations. The last two mentioned, ''La Espera'' and ''Otra nueva ilusión,'' fit together in the idea of waiting for change and obtaining hope with the rise of new ideologies. This is conveyed with the metaphor of love and being in love with someone and waiting for said person to reciprocate. The 1959 Revolution inspired him to write new songs, such as ''Y en eso llegó Fidel'' (And then Fidel came in), ''Fidel y La OEA'' (Fidel and the
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
)'' Procura venir el paz'' (~Try to get peace), ''Yankees go home!'', ''La Reforma Agraria'' ( Agrarian reform), ''Duro con él'', ''Ya ganamos la pelea (Tough on him, we already won the fight.)'' and ''Son de la alfabetización''. His most famous song, ''
Hasta Siempre, Comandante "Hasta Siempre, Comandante," ("Until Forever, Commander" in English) or simply "Hasta Siempre," is a 1965 song by Cuban composer Carlos Puebla. The song's lyrics are a reply to revolutionary Che Guevara's farewell letter when he left Cuba, in orde ...
'', has been
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...
by dozens of artists from all over the world, notably in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, by
Nathalie Cardone Nathalie Cardone (born 29 March 1967 in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is a French actress and singer. Biography Cardone was born in Pau, in South-West France. Her father was Sicilian and her mother Spanish. She appeared for the first time on ...
and
Los Calchakis LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significan ...
, although this last one is wrongly attributed to Buena Vista Social Club.


References


External links




Songs (mp3)
by Carlos Puebla dedicated to Che Guevara

- Article on Cuban magazine ''La Jiribilla''.



{{DEFAULTSORT:Puebla, Carlos 20th-century Cuban male singers 20th-century guitarists 1917 births 1989 deaths Che Guevara Cuban songwriters Cuban male guitarists Male songwriters Milestone Records artists People from Manzanillo, Cuba