Two Historic Anniversaries

February 19th is an important day in Latin music history. In 1932 Cuba's first all-women dance band, Anacaona, was formed by Cuchito Castro and her sisters Ada, Bola, and Ondina. Also part of the original band were Isabel Álvarez, Berta Cabrera, Elia O'Reilly. Despite prejudices in what was then an all-male industry, Anacaona developed a following and at the height of their popularity, they performed in New York, Europe and Mexico.

Eighty-one years later Anacaona is still releasing hit songs, although the band has a younger look and modern musical style. Congratulations Anacaona!

Today is also the 50th anniversary of the passing of the great Benny Moré who died on February 19, 1963 at the age of 43 due to liver disease brought on by alcoholism. Born in Lajas, Cuba, Benny Moré was a self-taught musician who got his start playing for tips in Havana and by the time of his death was the leader of one of the most popular latin dance bands in the world. It was his voice that got him his first jobs with bands such as Sexteto Cauto and later Conjunto Matamoros with which he traveled to Mexico.

Moré lived in Mexico for several years and it was during this time that he recorded a number of hits with Perez Prado such as the emblematic "Bonito y sabroso". In 1952 he moved back to Cuba and performed for a while with the orchestras of Bebo Valdés and Orquesta Aragón. Finally he founded his own band in the big band style with 16 musicians. Benny Moré y su Banda Gigante became a huge success. They toured South America and the United States where they even played at the Oscars.  

Moré was a versatile singer able to move easily from one genre to another. El Benny was also a gifted composer and arranger. Although he had no formal musical training and couldn't write charts, he would sing the parts to the musicians who could then transcribe them. He was also a great showman on stage with his trademark hat and cane; he would set the ladies screaming. Such was his popularity at the time of his death that his funeral was attended by an estimated 100,000 people and was practically a day of national mourning.

Benny Moré performing at the Palladium in New York

Benny Moré's legacy reaches far beyond Cuba. Around the world El Bárbaro del Rítmo is one of the great icons of Latin music and a role model for young singers today. He was an untrained street musician who set the world on fire with his songs and his performances and became a legend.

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My personal fave

Beny did a number of wonderful songs, but I think my personal all-time favorite is "Anabacoa", quite possibly the most wonderful song about any kind of food ever recorded.

Posted by: Bill Tilford on Wednesday, 20 February 2013, 12:47 AM

Recommended Reading and Viewing

One of the original sisters in Anacaona, Alicia Castro, was 12 when she joined the band in 1932, and her 2007 autobiography, "Anacaona, The Amazing Adventures of Cuba's First All-Girl Dance Band", is a great read not just about the band, but what it was like to be in their position in Cuban society in those early decades of the 20th Century. One of the many interesting cultural nuggets from that book concerns the lineage of the original sisters, whose paternal grandparents came to Cuba from southern China to work on a hacienda.
For Beny, there are a few documentaries and films based on his life out there, one of my personal favorites is the 2006 film "El Benny", which has a strong focus on his 1950s period when he started the Banda Gigante.

Posted by: Bill Tilford on Tuesday, 19 February 2013, 09:50 PM