Ramón Quián (died May 26, 2006), better known as Monguito "El Único", was a Cuban vocalist, bandleader, producer and composer. An

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...

sonero Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are th ...

, he had a simple improvising style with a distinctive nasal voice.

Career

Monguito performed with Orquesta Mazzuet in his native town before relocating to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, where he sang with Orquesta Modernista and Conjunto Modelo. In the 1950s, Monguito el Único moved to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. There he worked with Pepe Arévalo y Sus Mulatos and appeared in three movies. In 1962, Monguito moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and began singing with Orquesta Broadway. He made his first recording, the album ''

Primitivo Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kašte ...

'', with

Arsenio Rodríguez Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio Arsenio Travieso Scull; 31 August 1911 – 30 December 1970)Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana, v. 4 p. 45 et seq. was a Cuban musician, composer and bandleade ...

in 1963 for the Roost Records label. Monguito el Único was a member of

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer who in the 1970s became one of the leading exponents of salsa as well in t ...

's conjunto in the mid-1960s, alternating lead vocals with the Puerto Rican singer Chivirico Dávila. In 1967, he made his Fania solo debut with ''Johnny Pacheco Presents Monguito''. His debut on SAR Records, produced by Roberto Torres, was the album ''Yo no soy mentiroso'' in 1979. This recording went gold. Much like

Ismael Rivera Ismael Rivera a.k.a. "Maelo" (October 5, 1931 – May 13, 1987), was a Puerto Rican composer and salsa singer. Early life Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, a sector of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the first of five children born t ...

, Monguito el Único embodies an earthy, pragmatic aesthetic in the tradition of the

son montuno Son montuno is a subgenre of son cubano developed by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1940s. Although ''son montuno'' ("mountain sound") had previously referred to the ''sones'' played in the mountains of eastern Cuba, Arsenio repurposed the term to de ...

, forged in the streets of Cuba. He was also uncle to Laurita Rodriguez, a prominent defense attorney in New York City.

Discography

* Pacheco te invita a bailar (with Johnny Pacheco) (1965) * Bajándote (with Orchestra Harlow) (1966) * Viva África (with Johnny Pacheco) (1966) * Latin Mann (with

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...

) (1966) * Pacheco Presents Monguito (with Johnny Pacheco) (1967) * Fania All-Stars - Live at the Red Garter - Vol. 1 (1968) * El Único (1968) * De Todo Un Poco (1969) * Escúchame (Listen To Me) (1971) * Yo No Soy Mentiroso (1979) * Sabrosura (with Johnny Pacheco) (1980) * La Crema (with Johnny Pacheco) (1980) * In Curacao (1980) * Monguito El Internacional (1982) * Monguito "Miren Que Suerte" SAR (1982) * "Soy La Meta" "Caiman" (1994) * "Sazonando" Monguito SAR (1985)

References

External links

Profile of Monguito
descarga.com.
Monguito "El Único"
''

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...

''.
YouTube video of Monguito and his band
{{authority control Cuban male singers Salsa musicians Maracas players 2006 deaths People from Matanzas Province Year of birth missing