Compay Segundo

• Genre: Cuban
• Hometown: Siboney

About

Compay Segundo was the oldest member of the Buena Vista Social Club and the most authentic link to the original flowering of Cuban son in the early part of the 20th century. Segundo composed hundreds of songs, many of which are integral to the son repertoire, and played with influential groups including El Conjunto Matamoros and Los Compadres (with fellow Siboney-born musician Lorenzo Hierrezuelo). Segundo continued to play with his group, Compay Segundo y Sus Muchachos, from the 1950s straight into the '90s. In 1994 a group of Warner music executives saw Segundo play in Madrid at a tiny club, and they promptly signed him to a six album deal. Known for his lascivious sense of humor and zest for life, the great singer died at the age of ninety-five in 2003.

- Sarah Bardeen