Rubén Blades

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Rubén Blades (2015)

Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948 in Panama City ) is a Panamanian singer and actor . From 2004 to 2009 he was Panama's Minister of Tourism .

life and career

Rubén Blades grew up in rather poor circumstances in the Barrio San Felipe in Panama City. His maternal grandmother was a feminist who preferred to send her daughters to high school. For this reason, Blades learned to read and write from his mother, but also her love for poetry and the piano. His father was a jockey, basketball player and most recently in the secret police. In 1964 tensions with the United States over the Panama Canal accumulated - 25 people were killed after a demonstration. This caused a rethink in 16-year-old Rubén Blades, who until then had been 'pro-yanqui' according to his own statements in taste, music and everything .

After school he enrolled as a law and political science student at the Universidad Nacional de Panamá , but sang in various conjuntos Latinos on the side. At the age of 20 he traveled to New York with the help of his brother who worked for an airline . There he recorded his first record with Pete Rodríguez's orchestra. But he returned to Panama to finish his studies. In 1983 the political situation in the country worsened under General Noriega . His father had to leave the country because of internal tensions in the secret service; he was also accused of plotting the assassination of General Omar Torrijo . The family fled to the USA, Rubén Blades stayed behind to complete his studies, but followed them to Miami .

In New York he contacted the music publisher Fania Records , where he initially worked in the mail delivery department. After initially singing in Ray Barretto's orchestra , he was offered the opportunity to sing in Willie Colón's orchestra as the successor to Héctor Lavoe . The first record Metiendo Mano (1977) was an immediate success, surpassed in 1978 by Siembra , the longest successful salsa record . He stayed with Willie Colón for six years until he founded his own group Seis del Solar in 1982 , which he partially led with Robby Ameen . With her he left the classic salsa formation and, in addition to the brass section, mainly recorded rock instruments. He published Buscando América in 1984 and Escenas in 1985 , for which he received his first Grammy . Disputes with Fania over his copyrights led to the move to Elektra Records , he enlarged his brass section and the group was renamed Son del Solar .

Agua Luna followed in 1987 , based on poems by Gabriel García Márquez , then Antecedente , for which he received his second Grammy. His fascination for rock 'n' roll combined with Afro-Cuban rhythms manifested itself in his first purely English-language album, Nothing But The Truth (1988). He appeared in the 1988 film Milagro - The War in the Bean Field .

In the 1990s Rubén Blades stepped increasingly as a film actor in a variety of productions, u. a. along with actors like Richard Pryor , Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Nicholson . For this he moved his residence to California .

In the meantime, he founded his own political party for the 1994 presidential election in Panama. With 20% of the vote he did not become president, but his party was the third strongest force in parliament.

After returning to the USA in 1995 he recorded another LP with Willie Colón: Tras la Tormenta . There was another Grammy in 1996 with his new group Saravá and the album La Rosa de los Vientos and the fourth in 1999 for the album Tiempos .

In 2000 he became a UN special envoy against racism and in 2003 he returned to Panama to get involved in social projects and environmental organizations. In 2001 he worked with Michael Jackson. From October 2004 to June 2009, Blades was director of the Panamanian tourism institute IPAT with the rank of minister, but he had interrupted his musical career for this.

Discography

With Ray Barretto

  • Barretto (Fania, 1975)

With Pete Rodríguez

  • De Panamá a New York / From Panamá to New York (Fania, 1976)

With Willie Colón

  • Metiendo mano (Fania, 1977)
  • Siembra (Fania, 1978)
  • Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos (Fania, 1981)
  • The Last Fight (Música Latina, 1982)
  • Tras la tormenta (Sony, 1995)
  • Con sabor a salsa (Codigo Music, 2015)

With the Spanish Harlem Orchestra

  • Across 110th Street (Red Ink, 2004)

With Cheo Feliciano

  • Eba Say Ajá (Ariel Rivas Music 2012)

With Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

  • Salsa Big Band (2017), Grammy

solo

  • Bohemio y poeta (Fania, 1979)
  • Maestra vida: primera parte (Fania, 1980)
  • Maestra vida: segunda parte (Fania, 1980)
  • El que la hace la paga (Fania)
  • Mucho mejor (Fania)
  • Ruben Blades with Strings (Fania)
  • Buscando América (Elektra, 1984)
  • Escenas (Elektra, 1985)
  • Agua de luna (Elektra, 1986)
  • Crossover Dreams (Elektra, 1986)
  • Doble Filo (1987)
  • Antecedents (Elektra, 1988)
  • Nothing But the Truth (Elektra, 1988)
  • Live! (Elektra, 1990)
  • Caminando (CBS, 1991)
  • Amor y Control (CBS, 1992)
  • Joseph & His Brothers (Rabbit Ears, 1993)
  • La rosa de los vientos (Sony, 1996)
  • Tiempos (Sony, 1999)
  • Mundo (Sony, 2002)
  • Tangos (2014), Grammy

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Rubén Blades  - collection of images, videos and audio files