Of near mythical stature, Havana-born conga drummer, dancer, singer and composer Chano Pozo (Luciano Pozo y González, 1915-1948) was steeped in West African rhythms from childhood and belonged to an Afro-Cuban religious cult. He spent his teens in a reform school; developed a tough guy reputation, and was frequently involved in street fights. He spent days drumming, chanting and composing. Though he drank heavily, he "worked-out" daily to stay in condition. He performed with groups of street dancers in various parts of Havana and became a renowned choreographer of hotel revues and a composer of prize-winning carnival songs in the late 1930s. His lover Caridad "Cacha" Martínez persuaded him to switch his longstanding allegiance from Pueblo Nuevo district carnival group to Belén district; and many attribute composition of the popular carnival tune "Conga de Los Dandys" to him. Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Cuarteto Caney, Machito and his Afro-Cubans, Xavier Cugat, Miguelito Valdés and others recorded his songs. He performed in the spectacle Congo Pantera at the Tropicana cabaret featuring famed singer Rita Montaner (1900-1958). She helped him get the job of doorman and bodyguard for Amado Trinidad, owner of RHC Cadena Azul radio station. Appearances on the station further advanced his career. By the mid-1940s he was leading the all-star Conjunto Azul, which included his half-brother Félix Chappottín (1909-1982) on trumpet and recorded ten sides for Seeco Records. In 1945 he was shot twice in stomach in a fight with a publisher’s bodyguard over non-payment of royalties. He recovered in an expensive Havana hospital courtesy of Trinidad, though he continued to experience pain because surgery was unable to remove a bullet lodged at the base of his spine.

A tradition of tribute songs and albums exists, including the albums Tribute To Chano Pozo (True Ventures, 1977) and Tribute To Chano Pozo Vol. II (MC, 1995) by percussionist, singer, composer, bandleader, producer José Mangual Jr. (first son of José Mangual, Machito’s esteemed percussionist from 1942 to ‘59) and David Amram’s Havana / New York (Flying Fish, 1978) including the extended "En Memoria de Chano Pozo" recorded live in Havana, May 18th, 1977, featuring Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera. In 2001 Tumbao issued the 3-CD box set El Tambor De Cuba, a comprehensive collection of Pozo’s compositions and performances, including some of his unheard recordings, spoken anecdotes and a 143-page biography. – John Child

Chano Pozo Discography

Described as "one of the best flautists of this music of all time" by famed pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, José Antonio Fajardo (1919-2001) organised his first charanga band in September 1949. After initially struggling, his career really took-off with advent of cha cha chá craze in Cuba in 1953. Relocating to the USA in 1961, he went on to play a prominent role in the early ’60s charanga / pachanga craze and ’70s charanga revival. During the latter, he recorded four albums for Harvey Averne’s ill-fated Coco label. Then after playing on one track of Ray Barretto’s landmark Fania album Rican / Struction in 1979, he switched to Fania for four albums between 1980 and 1984. He was to record only one more solo album, La Flauta De Cuba (Tania, mid-1980s), but sessioned on various productions by the likes of Alfredo Valdés Jr., Israel López "Cachao", Fania All Stars, Graciela and Mario Bauzá, Louie Ramírez, Charanga Ranchera, Africando, Estrellas Caimán and Los Originales, among others, between 1982 and 2001. – John Child

Fajardo Discography

Notorious for her frenzied stage performances and admired by some as the epitome of camp, Cuban-born La Lupe (Lupe Victoria Yoli Raymond, 1939-1992) peaked in popularity in the second half of the 1960s.

From a poor background, she played truant from school to enter a radio singing contest and won first prize. She completed teacher training at her father’s insistence and worked as a schoolteacher in Havana. Meanwhile she performed with the Trio Los Tropicales at the El Roco nightclub, but was expelled from the group for wild behaviour. Her solo debut at Havana’s La Red nightclub in 1959 was a great success and she recorded several hit albums in the early ’60s, including Con El Diablo En El Cuerpo and La Lupe Is Back on Discuba, and Es Lupe on Kristal. However, her tempestuous stage act mixed with rock ‘n’ roll sung in Spanish so outraged the Castro government, that she was constrained to quit Cuba in early 1962.

Scandals returned to dog her career, including being banned from Puerto Rican TV for tearing off her clothing during a live broadcast. Her already rocky career is regarded to have sustained a crucial set back in the mid-’70s when Jerry Masucci (whose Fania empire had absorbed Tico) gave preference to progressing the career of another Tico signee: Celia Cruz. Despite issuing three LPs between 1977 and 1980, including La Pareja ‘78 with Puente, her career continued to dwindle until her retirement from performing in the early ’80s. She sank into poverty due to huge contributions to the Santería religion and enormous bills for her husband’s mental health treatment. She became paralysed following a domestic accident and was healed by an evangelical preacher. She converted to Evangelicalism and committed the rest of her life to religion until suffering a fatal heart attack in 1992. – John Child

La Lupe Discography

Nicknamed El Brujo, the Wizard, sonero, composer, arranger and producer Cuco Valoy hails from Santo Domingo. Rather than merengue, the predominant music of his native Quisqueya, Cuco’s steadfast love is Cuban music. After over 15 years performing in Los Ahijados, a Cuban style voice and guitar duo with his brother Martín, he expanded in the mid-’70s to a 12-piece band called both Los Virtuosos and La Tribu. It was a family affair including Martín on bass and sons Ramón Orlando (piano, musical director, arranger, composer, chorus singer) and Marcos Antonio Valoy occasionally on trombone. Between 1975 and 1983 the band made a string of 14 albums on the Discolor and Kubaney labels, featuring a mixture of salsa and merengue. Between 1983 and 1987, Valoy recorded for small companies, including his own CVR label, and then returned to Kubaney from 1988 to 1990. This was truly a golden era, during which he recorded many of his finest tracks. The 2010 Kubaney compilation Sonero Y Valor available on elWatusi.com is a good anthology of material from these two periods with the label. Cuco made a significant comeback in 1997 guesting on the smash hit cover of his ’70s hit "Juliana" by DLG from their album Swing On on Sony Tropical. "Juliana", from his 1978 album Salsa Con Coco on Discolor, is featured on Sonero Y Valor. Other albums represented on the collection are El Brujo (1976), Un Momento!…Llegaron (1977), La Tribu en New York (1978), Tremenda Salsa (1978; a.k.a. Cuco Valoy y su Tribu en Curazao), El Magnífico (1980), Tiza! (1980), Sin Comentarios… (1981), Chevere (1982), Bien Sobao (l982) and A Petición Popular…Salsa (1989). The other lead voice featured on Sonero Y Valor is the magnificent vocalist Henry García. After his second stint with Kubaney, Cuco went onto to release albums on J&N Records, AVL, Mr Imperio, RMM and Envidia before returning to the label in 2004 for Intacto. – John Child

Cuco Valoy Discography