Lorenzo Hierrezuelo (''Hierrezuelo La O'', 5 September 1907 in

El Caney El Caney (also Caney) is a small village six kilometers (four miles) to the northeast of Santiago, Cuba. "Caney" means longhouse in Taíno. Overview It was known in centuries past as the site where Hernán Cortés received a vision supposedly orde ...

– 16 November 1993 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.

) was a Cuban

trova ''Trova'' is a style of Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cuba, and earned their living by s ...

musician, singer, guitarist and composer. His face showed clear signs of Amerindian descent: he was an Indo-mulatto (one of his grandmothers was a Siboney). He was the son and nephew of

sonero Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of Oriente Province, eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a Syncretism, syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundament ...

s, and he grew up in the ambiance of this type of Cuban music and dance. At ten, he was singing in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

; at thirteen he formed a trio with two friends: the trio eventually left for Havana. They sang in cafés and private houses.Orovio, Helio 2004. ''Cuban music from A to Z''. Duke University, Durham NC; Tumi, Bath. p111 He worked for most of his life in duos with three important Cuban trovadors. When his two friends returned to Oriente, Lorenzo met

María Teresa Vera María Teresa Vera (February 6, 1895 in Guanajay – December 17, 1965 in Havana) was a Cuban singer, guitarist and composer. She was an outstanding example of the Cuban trova movement. Career She started her career as a singer in 1911 in a th ...

, and formed a duo with her in 1937. Later, with

Compay Segundo Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer. Biography Compay (meaning ''compadre'') Segundo, so called because he w ...

(Francisco Repilado), he formed the duo '' Los Compadres''; lastly he continued under the same title with his brother, Reinaldo Hierrezuelo, known as

Rey Caney Reinaldo Hierrezuelo La O (30 December 1926 – 23 February 2016), known professionally as Rey Caney, was a Cuban singer, guitarist, and tresero. Born in Santiago de Cuba as the youngest of 11 siblings, he led Cuarteto Patría for some time; ...

. He also had a sister,

Caridad Hierrezuelo Caridad Hierrezuelo (10 August 1924 in El Caney – 6 February 2009 in Havana) was a Cuban popular singer. She was the sister of Lorenzo Hierrezuelo and Rey Caney, two famous trova musicians. Her career began in 1947 as a member of the ''Tr ...

, who was a singer in the

guaracha 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 musical thea ...

style. ''Los Compadres'' became a successful touring act, singing in most countries of the Americas. Lorenzo and his brother remained based in Cuba for the rest of their lives. Reinaldo became a member of the ''

Vieja Trova Santiaguera La Vieja Trova Santiaguera is a Cuban musical band that formed in 1994 and became successful in Europe. Its members included: *Reinaldo Hierrezuelo la O (known as ''Rey Caney''), solo voice and lead guitar/tres) (Santiago de Cuba, 30 December 1926) ...

''. Lorenzo composed a large number of

sones The sone () is a unit of loudness, the subjective perception of sound pressure. The study of perceived loudness is included in the topic of psychoacoustics and employs methods of psychophysics. Doubling the perceived loudness doubles the sone v ...

bolero 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 ...

s and

s, such as ''Barbarita tiene novio'', ''Cantando mi son yo me muero'', ''Caña quema'', ''Culpable no soy'', ''El hule de Tomasita'', ''Ese palo tiene jutía'', ''Mal tiempo'', ''Mi son oriental'', ''Rita la caimana'', and ''Sarandonga''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hierrezuelo, Lorenzo Cuban composers Male composers Cuban male guitarists 20th-century Cuban male singers Cuban people of Ciboney descent 1907 births 1993 deaths 20th-century composers 20th-century guitarists Son cubano singers Cuban male musicians