Dúo Guardabarranco was a

Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

duo consisting of siblings

Katia Cardenal Katia Cardenal (born June 19, 1963, in Managua, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan singer, songwriter, and part of the nueva trova movement. Katia and her brother Salvador Cardenal formed Duo Guardabarranco, one of the leading proponents of nueva trova, ...

and

Salvador Cardenal Salvador de Jesús Cardenal Barquero (Managua, Nicaragua, October 6, 1960 - March 8, 2010) was a Nicaraguan singer-songwriter and was one of the most renowned songwriters in Nicaragua and Central America, also a poet, painter and ecologist. Father ...

. The duo has been a significant worldwide ambassador for Nicaraguan and Latin-American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

for the last three decades, and has gained a broad international audience with their poetic lyrics about

hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

and

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, wrapped in their outstanding

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

and melodies. They are named after the Nicaraguan national bird, the Turquoise-browed motmot, locally referred to as ''Guardabarranco''.

Biography

Katia and Salvador Cardenal began singing together in 1980 in

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...

after the Sandinistas ended the dictatorship of Gen. Anastasio Somoza. The Duo joined the new government's Literacy Campaign, and with scores of other high-school students, traveled to teach reading to adults in rural areas of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. In the early 1980s, a new musical movement was spreading through

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, that of

nueva canción Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula, characterized by folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. ''Nueva canción'' is widely recognized to ...

(new song), a non-partisan,

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

and often gentle trend toward

about social issues. Guardabarranco's style fit well into the category, although the siblings' compositions have eschewed specific issues of global politics in favor of personal truths and uplifting spirit. The duo's delicate tunes combine elements of traditional folk and pop music forms and address subjects such as hope, nature, respect, justice, love and introspection, without indulging in polemics. Salvador's song "Guerrero del Amor" ("Warrior of Love", with lyrics by Costa Rican singer-songwriter Rosy Soley) served as the inspiration for the 1996 movie

Carla's Song ''Carla's Song'' is a 1996 film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, that deals with the impact of the Contra War in Nicaragua. It is a United Kingdom–Spain–Germany co-production. Plot Set in 1987, Carla's Song tells the st ...

, directed by noted English filmmaker Ken Loach. "Guerrero del Amor" is a prime example of the duo's goal to communicate personal means through universal truths. Together, the siblings have released such albums as ''Si Buscabas'', ''Dias de Amar'' and ''Casa Abierta'', toured the U.S. six times and performed with Silvio Rodríguez,

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

, Bruce Cockburn,

Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and its lead ...

and

benefactor Benefactor may refer to: * ''Benefactor'' (album), a 1982 album by Romeo Void * Benefactor (law) for a person whose actions benefit another or a person that gives back to others * Benefication (metallurgy) In the mining Mining is the ext ...

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

, among other musical luminaries. On a global scale, they have played throughout Central and South America, as well as in Eastern Europe, Norway, Finland, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, North Korea, the former Soviet Union, Canada and the United States. The Duo placed second in the OTI International Song Festival 1990, with the song "Dame tu Corazón.” Salvador Cardenal died on March 8, 2010, after a long battle with cryoglobulinemia.

Releases

Transparente Nicaragua, ''2007'' -

MOKA Discos Moka () is a village in Mauritius located in the Moka District, the western part of the village also lies in the Plaines Wilhems District. Since 1967 it forms part of Constituency No. 8 Quartier Militaire and Moka. The village is administered by ...

Cancionero, ''2004'' -

Verdadero pan, ''2003'' -

Una noche con Guardabarranco, ''2001'' -

Antologia, ''1995

Casa abierta, ''1994' -

Dias de amar, ''1990'' -

Si buscabas, ''1985'' -

Un trago de horizonte, ''1982'' -

References

External links

Duo GuardabarrancoTucson Weekly Article
{{Authority control Nicaraguan musical groups

Biography

Releases

See also

References

External links