Pío Leyva

Pío Leyva looms among the giants of Cuban music. Though one of the most successful soneros of the pre-revolution era, he only earned international renown in his twilight years thanks to the landmark album and documentary Buena Vista Social Club. Born Wilfredo Pascual in Morón, Cuba, on May 5, 1917, he won a local bongo-drumming contest at the age of six and at 15 was tapped to sing with Juanito Blez's band Conjunto Caribe. Upon relocating to Havana, Leyva lent his appealingly gravelly vocals to a series of acts including Orquesta de Jesús Montago, Orquesta Raqueteros del Swing, Orquesta del Paseiro, and Sexteto Colón; he also formed a trio sponsored by a local brand of coffee, Café el Angel, and was a fixture of Cuban radio. Leyva signed to RCA Victor in 1950 and in the years to follow cut more than two dozen LPs for the label, scoring a succession of smash hits including "Un Jardinero de Amor" and "Chapaleando." Nicknamed "El Montunero de Cuba" for his matchless improvisational acumen, Leyva recorded with the likes of Mariano Mercerón, Orquesta Cosmópolita, and Niño Rivera and also sang backup for Beny Moré, who popularized his best-known composition, "Francisco Guayabal." In March 1957, Leyva was in the studio collaborating with singer/guitarist Compay Segundo when rebel forces launched their assault on Cuban president Fulgencio Batista's Havana palace. According to legend, the session was later issued commercially complete with the sound of gunfire in the background. But while the revolution halted or terminated the careers of many Cuban musicians, Leyva continued his studio and stage career, appearing regularly on Cuban television while touring Spanish-speaking nations like Panama, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In 1991, he even mounted a four-month...