Rubén
Blades’ musical career has
been rich with beautiful, adventurous
and socially conscious songs that
have earned him critical praise and
the respect of his peers. Blades
grew up in Panama City with musically
talented parents. His mother sang
and played the piano, while his father
played percussion.
Such early exposure piqued his interest in music, and Blades began singing
with musical groups such as El Conjunto Latino de Papi Arosemena. He
also performed with both Los Salvajes del Ritmo and Bush y sus Magnificos,
and sang on recordings by both groups. He started focusing more on his
studies, putting music on the back burner. But in 1968, the University
of Panama, where he was studying, closed due to riots. Blades took that
as an opportunity to travel to New York City and get in touch with Pancho
Cristal, Cheo Feliciano’s producer. Cristal had heard Blades sing
in Panama and offered to get him together with the Pete Rodriguez Orchestra
to record From Panama to New York, which was released in 1970.
Panama was ablaze with economic and political turmoil, but Blades still
returned to his country to finish his law degree when the university
reopened. Upon graduation, he moved to Miami where his family emigrated,
and then eventually he moved back to New York. He worked at Fania Records
in New York as a mailboy. While the job was not glamorous, it gave him
access to important people in the New York Latin music scene. A year
later, his patience paid off. He auditioned in the mailroom to replace
Tito Allen as the vocalist in Ray Barretto’s band, and subsequently
got hired. Barretto later exited as bandleader, and Blades took over,
rechristening the band Guarare.
Expanding on his musical and social vision, Blades released Siembra in
1978. The song “Pedro Navaja” topped sales and airplay records
for salsa songs. This groundbreaking album was followed by another, the
two part Maestra Vida in 1980, a musical drama using characters to explore
social issues in a very personal way.
In 1986, Blades received his first Grammy Award for Escenas, which won
for Best Tropical Latin Performance. He began exploring rock music to
further expand the realm of his music. Working with rock pioneers such
as Lou Reed, Elvis Costello and Sting, Blades recorded the English language
album, Nothing But the Truth, in 1988. In the same year, Blades also
released a salsa album titled Antecedente, an album by Son del Solar
(formerly Seis del Solar, a band he started in 1982) that delved into
Latin America’s social disarray. The album won a Grammy Award for
Best Tropical Latin Performance.
When Blades began acting in films, he was also able to put his songwriting
skills to use. He acted and wrote music for movies such as The Last Fight,
Crossover Dreams, The Milagro Beanfield War, Dead Man Out, The Lemon
Sisters, Predator 2, The Josephine Baker Story and The Devil’s
Own. Blades also shared the starring role in Paul Simon’s Broadway
musical, The Capeman, with Marc Anthony.
1991 saw the release of Caminando with Son del Solar, followed by Amor
y Control in 1992. This album marked the end of his association with
Son del Solar. His work proved that salsa music could be a mechanism
for social comment and an instrument for change.
True to his social activism, Rubén Blades ran for president of
Panama in 1994, as the founder and head of the Papa Egoró Movement.
After his run for president, Blades returned his attention to his music,
producing a trilogy of Grammy-winning recordings: La Rosa de los Vientos
(1996), with Panamanian musicians and composers, that moves towards a
unity between the various rhythms and styles in Latin music; Tiempos
(1999) with Editus Ensemble, incorporating elements of contemporary classical
music and jazz; and Mundo (2002) also with Editus Ensemble and other
artists, fusing Irish, Arabic and Afro-Cuban instruments and rhythms.
In 2000, he was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, and
appeared at colleges, meeting with students and speaking against racism.
Most recently in 2004, Blades received his sixth Grammy for the acclaimed
Across 100th Street with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra for Best Salsa/Merengue
Album. He was also honored by the New York Chapter of National Academy
of Recording Arts and Sciences at their Heroes Awards last year.
ASCAP is proud to present its Founders Award to Rubén Blades,
whose profound and innovative contributions to music will enrich generations
to come.
|
