Miguel Poventud a.k.a. "El Niño Prodigio de Guayama" and "Miguelito" (August 4, 1942 – March 3, 1983), was a Puerto Rican musician, singer, actor and composer of

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 ...

. Among the singers who have interpreted his musical compositions are Johnny Albino,

Héctor Lavoe Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (30 September 1946 – 29 June 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa ...

and Daniel Santos.

Early years

Poventud was born in

Guayama, Puerto Rico Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...

, to Francisco Poventud, a law enforcement officer in the San Juan Police Department, and Concepción Aponte, a seamstress. A descendant of Carlos Armstrong and Eulalia Pou, Poventud was the youngest of five siblings. From the age of five Poventud looked forward to trips to the town Plaza accompanied by his mother, dressed in clothes that she herself had sewn. While he was a student at the ''Escuela Parada Guamani'', he suffered a spinal cord injury caused by a biking accident and was hospitalized for two years, which left him immobile at the age of 10. His mother was stricken by TB and died shortly after he was discharged from the hospital."El Diario-La Prensa"; March 10, 1983 When Poventud's father gave him a guitar, he taught himself to play it. He re-arranged the guitar strings upside down since he was

left handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. Soon Poventud was performing in his hometown of Guayama, winning awards, and singing before large audiences at the local radio station WHOM. He became known as ''El Niño Prodigio de Guayama'' (The Child Prodigy of Guayama). After his mother's death, Poventud's father remarried. The young boy resented this, and resented his father's opposition to his musical career.

Musical career

Victor Alonso of Spanoramic records became interested in Poventud's musical work. Before his mother died, Alonso promised her that he would give Poventud a career opportunity. He made Poventud an offer that included the recording of Poventud's first record album titled ''Pobre Huerfanito'' (Poor Little Orphan) in New York City. At this point, Poventud's father again resisted the boy's musical career, and his older brother Carlos argued with the father about Miguelito's future. After this argument, Carlos took young Poventud to live with him in New York City, and became his legal guardian.

New York City

In New York, Poventud continued his primary and secondary education at P.S. 93 Elementary School, then at Joan of Arc High School. Poventud wrote his first composition at age 14 titled ''Ya No Soy Un Niño.'' (I'm Not a Child Anymore). His primary inspirations were his deceased mother, his new reality in New York, a growing romanticism, and the melancholy of diaspora - a nostalgia for the island and the people that he'd left behind. In 1956, still at the age of 14, Poventud was invited to sing in the wedding of

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

and

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

. Poventud made his professional debut in '' El Teatro Puerto Rico'', where he sang the songs he'd written in his mother's memory: ''Soy un Huerfanito'' (I'm a Little Orphan), ''De Que Me Sirve la Vida'' (What's the Use of Living), and ''Hechame a Mi la Culpa'' (Blame Me). Poventud continued to make further presentations at the theater with '' Yomo Toro y su Conjunto'' playing

Rock 'n Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

in English, and singing

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 in Spanish. His also sang Rock 'n Roll songs such as " Prometo Recordarte" (I Promise to Remember You). He made two appearances in a local New York television show, in which he sang "De Boca a Boca" (Mouth to Mouth) and several other Rock 'n Roll numbers."El Diario-La Prensa"; 1964 Poventud participated in a comedy sketch with Mexican comedian

Tin Tan Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, ...

and was invited by the comedian to join his act in Mexico, which he did, and there they recorded an album based on their act. While in Mexico, he appeared and sang in ''Around the World in 80 Days'', a movie based on a Jules Verne novel. Also in Mexico, he participated in five recordings with the musical trio '' El Trio Los Panchos.'' In 1961, he returned to New York and married his high school sweetheart Norma Iris Guzman, with whom he had two children. In 1964, Poventud filled in for Johnny Albino as a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

musician with El Trio Los Panchos, when Albino could not sing because of a voice ailment. This occurred during the recording of "More Amor" with

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Law ...

. Poventud went on to record the album ''Los Panchos by Special Request'', a compilation of love songs recorded in English for CBS, with Albino. He also, participated as the main guitarist and voice accompaniment in the recording of "Grandes Exitos de Johnny Albino con Los Panchos" with Albino. In 1965 the light heavyweight boxing champion of the world, a Puerto Rican named José "Chegui" Torres, went to see one of Poventud's performances at Mexico's ''El Teatro Lirico'' and they became friends. Eventually they were both invited to appear on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'', where Torres sang "Un Poco Mas" accompanied by Poventud and his guitar. Poventud returned to New York, attended

Boricua College Boricua College is a private college in New York City designed to serve the educational needs of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics in the United States. It was founded by Victor G. Alicea and several others. Faculty The school employs a larg ...

in the Bronx, and became politically involved in the

Puerto Rican independence movement Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States. A spectrum of pro-autonomy, ...

around this time. Together with his trio the ''Miguel Poventud y Su Trío'', succeeded as a bolerista. He tried his hand at singing Salsa and Ballads in the late sixties and early seventies, working with various "guitar trios" throughout New York. In 1974 he agreed to participate in the album ''The Mambo Boys Classics'' together with Al Abreu (sax), Manny Duran (trumpet), Manny Corchado (percussion),

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

(timbales), Ozzie Torrens (conga),

Charlie Palmieri Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Palmieri (November 21, 1927 – September 12, 1988) was an American bandleader and musical director of salsa music. He was known as the "Giant of the Keyboards". Early years Palmieri's parents migrated to New York from Po ...

(piano) and Louie Ramirez (vibes). Louie Ramirez and Chico Mendoza arranged the Salsa session, while Hector Garrido arranged the ballads. Poventud and

Bobby Capó Félix Manuel "Bobby" Rodríguez Capó (January 1, 1922 – December 18, 1989) was a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. He usually combined ballads with classical music and was deeply involved in Puerto Rican folk elements and even Andalusi ...

sang "Tan Felices"''.'' Poventud also recorded with Capo in "El Bardo" and with

in the ''Al Ladito Tuyo'' albums.

Che Guevara Speaks

In 1975, Poventud and José Glóro provided the musical background for ''

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, quot ...

Speaks'', a recording of an interview with Ernesto "Che" Guevarra before Guevara was sent to Bolivia. Poventud had an accident two days before the recording and showed up with and injured thumb that was held in place with a metal pin and stitches. Despite this injury, Poventud played an accordion for the occasion. In 1976, Poventud made the arrangements and was the first guitarist in Pepe and Flora's album ''En La Lucha.'' That same year, he also participated in the protests in favor of Puerto Rican independence in front of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Building in New York. In 1978 Gilberto Monroig, a member of Tito Puente's Orchestra, and Poventud recorded various songs. Among them were ''Que Chevere'' and ''Malcriada''. ''Que Chevere'' was often played on Radio WADO.

Niegalo

Poventud's interpretation of the song ''Niegalo'' (Deny it) resulted he being invited to appear at Mexico's ''El Teatro Lirico.'' The song Niegalo was also interpreted by Chago Alvarado in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. In 1978, Poventud also recorded Alvarado's ''Me Cansó tu Historia'' (I'm Tired of your Story). Another song that received international recognition was

Tite Curet Alonso Catalino "Tite" Curet Alonso (February 26, 1926 – August 5, 2003) was a Puerto Rican composer of over 2,000 salsa songs. Early years Curet Alonso (birth name: Catalino Curet Alonso) was born in Guayama, a town located in the southern region ...

's ''Tu Mente'' (Your Mind) interpreted by Poventud. ''Tu Mente'' won the Billboard Award for Best Latin Artist in 1977. Another Puerto Rican singer, Daniel Santos, recorded Poventud's ''Si Yo Fuera Millonario'' (If I Were a Millionaire). The jibaro song, ''Joven Contra Viejo'' (Young Against Old) featured

and Daniel Santos settling their age-based differences on-stage, but not without a heavy dose of humor and (yet again) Yomo Toro's cuatro music as a backdrop. It included a song from Poventud ''Una Pena en La Navidad.'' (A Pain in Christmas).

Later years

Poventud lived in

TriBeCa Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stree ...

, a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York. During his last years he performed at the Chibcha Restaurant in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. One of his songs, ''Eres todo para Mi'' was released in 1983. He died on March 3, 1983 at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York and was buried in Guayama, the place of his birth. He is survived by his wife Norma Iris Guzman and his daughters Kaluska and Yolanda Poventud.

Selected compositions

Among Poventud's many musical compositions, which can be found in libraries, are the following: *''Che Guevara Speaks'' - (Poventud provided the musical background)- 2 editions published between 1973 and re-leased in 2000 in Spanish and held by 17 libraries worldwide. *''Bailemos Twist'' - Held by 2 libraries worldwide *''Mi Amada Diana'' - Held by 2 libraries worldwide *''No me Importa tu Suerte'' - Held by 1 library worldwide *''Feliz Navidad'' - Held by 1 library worldwide *''Agonias de Amor'' - Held by 1 library worldwide Compositions with Words and Music by Miguel Poventud 1970 *''Esto Sigue'' and ''Chevere'' - Recorded by Gilberto Monroig *''Voy a Combiar Mi Corazon'' - Recorded by

Marco Antonio Muñiz Marco Antonio Muñiz (born 3 March 1933) is a Mexican singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, he also acted in the 1965 film '' Sinful'' ( Spanish: El Pecador). He belongs to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Early life and car ...

*''Al Fin Del Mundo;'' ''Recordar Es Morir; Quien'' and ''Flor'' - Recorded by Pepe y Flora *''No Me Importa Ya Tu Suerte'' and ''Devuelveme Mis Cosas'' 1975 *''Mami Donde Esta Papi'' *''Otra Navidad Sin Ti'' and ''En La Navidad Una Pena''-Recorded by Héctor Lavoe *''Fuiquiti'', ''La Casa Nuestra'' and ''Tradicion Eterna'' (new title ''Salve Mi Pueblo'')-Recorded by Yomo Toro Author, Music and Lyrics *''Devuelveme Mis Cosas'' *''El Ultimo Beso'' - (co-written with Francisco De La Barrera Gonzalez) *''Que Cosa Te Hice Yo'' - (co-written with Francisco De La Barrera Gonzalez) *''Voy a Cambiar mi Corazon'' *''Yo Siento Quererte'' Recordings by Poventud *''Tin Tan y Miguelito Poventud'', and ''Pobre Huerfanito, Canta Miguel Poventud''-Recorded at Spanoramic Recordings, New York *''Miguel Poventud, Agonias de Amor'' - Recorded at RCA Victor of Mexico *''Ven'' at Industrias Electronicas Y Musicales Peruanas S.A. *''De Paranda'' - Recorded at Blank Tapes NYC Mfd. *''Miguelito Poventud, Tu Mente;'' ''Miguelito Poventud, Tu Mente'' and ''El Bardo''-Recorded at Orfeon in Mexico *''Miguel Poventud, Al Ladito Tuyo'' - Recorded at Milly Latino *''Miguel Poventud, Eres Todo En mi'' - Recorded at WS Latino *''Have a Good Time'' - Recorded at Mapa records *''De Parranda'' - Recorded at Orfeon in NYC In 1997, Yomo Toro re-released ''Fuikiti'' and ''Una Pena en la Navidad'' with original compositions by Miguel Poventud in an album titled ''Celebremos Navidad'' (Let us Celebrate Christmas), produced by Rachel Faro and Sammy Figueroa. The album won the "Indie Award Best Latin Album" and the "Paoli Prize Best Christmas Album" award.Musica de Puerto Rico
/ref> In 2009, Toro once more released the album ''Fuikiti'', which included Poventud's compositions ''Esta Navidad'' (This Christmas); ''Otra Navidad Sin Ti'' (Another Christmas Without You); ''Despierta, Despierta'' (Wake Up, Wake Up); and ''Fuikiti.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poventud, Miguel 1942 births 1983 deaths People from Guayama, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican male actors Puerto Rican male composers 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican singer-songwriters Puerto Rican independence activists