Cuban rock
Encyclopedia
Rock and roll
in Cuba
began in the late 1950s, with artists covering American songs translated into Spanish
, as was occurring in Mexico
at the same time. Its development was disrupted by the Cuban Revolution
; the government of Fidel Castro
banned rock music
in 1961 as being a corruptive American influence that had no place in the new, puritan
ical Communist Cuba
(which, ironically, was at odds with Marx's
own liberal views on art and culture, not to mention the fact that many rock groups have espoused "left-wing" ideas). The ban was eventually lifted in 1966.
While the ban was eventually lifted, one group called Los Pacificos attempted a rock concert which lasted two hours. They borrowed instruments and performed their concert without previous rehearsal. The concert lasted two hours and was recorded. Los Pacificos paid a heavy price for their performance with one of the performers Carlos Davila dying in Angola in the 1970s. The recording was smuggled out of Cuba in the 1990s and was remixed into an album. The story of Los Pacificos earned the cover for an entry call in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest
in New York.
The Castro government's attitude towards rock until recently was quite negative, although it has varied greatly in severity throughout the regime's existence. During the 1960s and 1970s rock was prohibited, although nueva cancion
/nueva trova
artists like Silvio Rodriguez
and Carlos Varela
would sometimes perform rock material. In more recent years, with the transition to a tourism
-based economy, attitudes of the Castro regime towards rock have softened somewhat, not only towards domestic and Latin American artists but also towards foreign Anglophone artists. In 2001, the Welsh
rock group Manic Street Preachers
were invited to perform in Cuba. Their concert was attended by Fidel Castro and others in authority. In 2004, Castro made a speech honouring the birthday of John Lennon
(whose music, both with The Beatles
and as a solo artist had been banned in Cuba). A bronze statue of John Lennon has been put in one of the parks in Havana
. This statue was notorious in Havana for being under constant vandalism by citizens who would rob the statue's bronze glasses. Rick Wakeman
, Sepultura
and Audioslave
played in Havana.
In the 80's, a heavy metal
band from Municipio Playa were formed by Roberto Armada called Venus with Dionisio as a singer. They got a lot of success among the Cuban headbangers of the 80's.
A rock scene in Cuba is usually seen as small and underground due to official disapproval. However since the late 1990s, groups such as Moneda Dura and Los Kent have performed rock music on Cuban TV, and the profile of rock music has risen, with concerts and festivals.
In December 2007, 7and7is, an indie rock band from Edmonton, Canada became the first foreign DIY band to tour Cuba. They played 7 shows in 5 cities (Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Trindad, Santa Clara and Havana). The tour was captured for a documentary
entitled 7and7is... Una Vez Por La Vida.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
began in the late 1950s, with artists covering American songs translated into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, as was occurring in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
at the same time. Its development was disrupted by the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
; the government of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
banned rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
in 1961 as being a corruptive American influence that had no place in the new, puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ical Communist Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(which, ironically, was at odds with Marx's
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
own liberal views on art and culture, not to mention the fact that many rock groups have espoused "left-wing" ideas). The ban was eventually lifted in 1966.
While the ban was eventually lifted, one group called Los Pacificos attempted a rock concert which lasted two hours. They borrowed instruments and performed their concert without previous rehearsal. The concert lasted two hours and was recorded. Los Pacificos paid a heavy price for their performance with one of the performers Carlos Davila dying in Angola in the 1970s. The recording was smuggled out of Cuba in the 1990s and was remixed into an album. The story of Los Pacificos earned the cover for an entry call in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest
John Lennon Songwriting Contest
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, named for the former member of The Beatles, is a songwriting competition for songwriters, open to amateurs and professionals. The contest accepts instrumental pieces as well as songs with a vocal component. Though all entries must include a CD, cassette, or...
in New York.
The Castro government's attitude towards rock until recently was quite negative, although it has varied greatly in severity throughout the regime's existence. During the 1960s and 1970s rock was prohibited, although nueva cancion
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
/nueva trova
Nueva trova
Nueva trova is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes....
artists like Silvio Rodriguez
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
and Carlos Varela
Carlos Varela
Carlos Varela is a singer-songwriter of nueva trova from Havana, Cuba. In the 1980s he joined the Nueva Trova musical movement, a political and poetic musical genre connected with the Cuban Revolution....
would sometimes perform rock material. In more recent years, with the transition to a tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
-based economy, attitudes of the Castro regime towards rock have softened somewhat, not only towards domestic and Latin American artists but also towards foreign Anglophone artists. In 2001, the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
rock group Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
were invited to perform in Cuba. Their concert was attended by Fidel Castro and others in authority. In 2004, Castro made a speech honouring the birthday of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
(whose music, both with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and as a solo artist had been banned in Cuba). A bronze statue of John Lennon has been put in one of the parks in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. This statue was notorious in Havana for being under constant vandalism by citizens who would rob the statue's bronze glasses. Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
and Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
played in Havana.
In the 80's, a heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Municipio Playa were formed by Roberto Armada called Venus with Dionisio as a singer. They got a lot of success among the Cuban headbangers of the 80's.
A rock scene in Cuba is usually seen as small and underground due to official disapproval. However since the late 1990s, groups such as Moneda Dura and Los Kent have performed rock music on Cuban TV, and the profile of rock music has risen, with concerts and festivals.
In December 2007, 7and7is, an indie rock band from Edmonton, Canada became the first foreign DIY band to tour Cuba. They played 7 shows in 5 cities (Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Trindad, Santa Clara and Havana). The tour was captured for a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
entitled 7and7is... Una Vez Por La Vida.
External links
- Quantum: Cuba’s Sound Warriors by Irina Echarry, Havana Times July 20, 2009
- history of Cuban rock