Polo Montañez (June 5, 1955 – November 26, 2002) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n singer and songwriter.

Early life

Montañez was born Fernando Borrego Linares in

Sierra del Rosario Sierra del Rosario is a mountain range in the provinces of Pinar del Río and Artemisa, western Cuba. It is located in the eastern part of the Guaniguanico range and, along with the Sierra de los Órganos, is part of it. Geography The range lies ...

mountain range, on a farm known as ''El Brujito'' within the Candelaria municipality. At an early age he worked various jobs including driving a tractor, milking cows, making charcoal, assisting on the family farm, and as a lumberjack. In his spare time, Montañez would go from house to house singing. He began to sing and play in local parties and family gatherings with his father. In those gatherings, he started playing the

tumbadora The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

and the guitar at age 7.

From Anonymity to International Fame

He started to manage a group that played in touristic areas of La Cordillera de los Órganos. He lived in la Cañada del Infierno, Casa Blanca, Finca del Cusco, and in 1972 he occupied one of the houses in the touristic community of '' Las Terrazas''. In 1973, he wrote his first song, titled "Este Tiempo Feliz" (This Happy Moment). In 1994, Polo and his ensemble began performing at various tourist destinations in Las Terrazas, including Hotel Moka, Rancho Curujey, and Cafetal Buenavista. In 1999, he signed a contract with the French record label Lusafrica. By that time, he had written over 70 songs not through formal musical training, but inspired by his own life in rural Cuba. The following year, he released his debut studio album, '' Guajiro Natural'', along with its lead single, "Un Montón De Estrellas." Its blend of genres, distinctive style, and universal themes of love and personal experience woven with rural imagery made him immensely popular, both in his native Cuba and internationally, especially throughout Latin America. In

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, the album sold over 40,000 copies, earning both Gold and Platinum certification. His rising fame earned him the nickname El Guajiro Natural ("The Natural Countryman"), a nod to his album's title, humble persona, and evocative songs about life in the Cuban countryside. In 2002, he played a concert in

Holguín Holguín (, ) is a municipality-city in Cuba. After Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey, it is the List of cities in Cuba, fourth largest city in Cuba. History Before Christopher Columbus, Columbus, the Taino people settled in huts made fro ...

that drew a far larger crowd than the event planners had anticipated.

Touring History

He performed in

five times,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on two occasions,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, and

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. He shared the stage with many artists, including

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

Andy Montañez Andrés Montañez Rodríguez (born May 7, 1942), better known as Andy Montañez, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Early life Montañez is a native of the ''Tras Talleres'' area of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is known by the nic ...

, Margarita Francisco,

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011) was a Cape Verdean singer known for singing morna, a genre of music from Cape Verde, in her native Cape Verdean Creole. Her songs were often devoted to themes of love, homesickness, nos ...

Cándido Fabré Cándido Fabré (born in San Luis, Santiago de Cuba) is a Cuban musician, song writer, and singer famous for his skilled improvisation. He was born on 20 September 1959, in the municipality of San Luis (Santiago de Cuba), into a musical family; ...

, Francisco Repilado (Compay Segundo),

Eliades Ochoa Eliades Ochoa Bustamante (born 22 June 1946) is a Cuban guitarist and singer from Loma de la Avispa, Songo La Maya in the east of the country near Santiago de Cuba. He began playing the guitar when he was six and in 1978 he was invited to joi ...

Adalberto Álvarez Adalberto Cecilio Álvarez Zayas (22 November 1948 – 1 September 2021) was a Cuban pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer. Biography Adalberto was born in La Havana on November 22, 1948, but considered himself a native of Camagüey, where ...

, Danny Rivera,

Gilberto Santa Rosa Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés (), nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa" (The Gentleman of Salsa) (born August 21, 1962), is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three mi ...

and others.

Death

On November 20, 2002, Montañez was driving in the ''Coronela'' Zone near San Cristóbal, Pinar del Río, returning from a family party with several relatives when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer. His 25-year-old stepson, Mirel Gonzalez Garcia, was killed in the accident, and his wife, Adis Garcia, sustained injuries. On the night of November 26, 2002, six days after being hospitalized at the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital, Polo Montañez succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the age of 47. He was buried in the cemetery of Candelaria,

Artemisa Artemisa () is a municipality and city in Cuba, formerly part of La Habana Province. According to a law approved by the Cuban National Assembly in August 2010, Artemisa became the capital city of the newly formed Artemisa Province, which compri ...

. The cultural centre in the main square of Viñales, Pinar del Rio, is named in his memory. Soon after his death, the songwriter José Valladares composed a song in honour of Polo entitled
Cazador de Estrellas
(Star Hunter), which was interpreted by various artists such as Pedro Calvo, Paulito FG, and Jenny (

Los Van Van Los Van Van is one of the leading musical groups of post-revolutionary Cuba. It was founded in 1969 by bassist Juan Formell, who directed the band until his death in 2014. Formell and former band members Changuito and Pupy are some of the most i ...

's vocalist).

Discography

* '' Guajiro Natural'' (2000) - CD Lusafrica 362202 * '' Guitarra Mía'' (2002) - CD Lusafrica 362502 * ''

Memoria Memoria was the term for aspects involving memory in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "memory". It was one of five canons in classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and pronun ...

'' (2004) - CD Lusafrica 462222 * '' El Guajiro'' (2005) - DVD Lusafrica 462438, 2005 * '' Cuestión de Suerte'' (2006)

References

External links

Obituary from canandiannetworkoncuba.ca

Música de Polo Montañez / Polo Montañez's Music

Entrevistas / Interviews: Polo Montañez: Un montón de música

(Article published a
Radio Guamá

Entrevista con Polo / Interview with Polo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montanez, Polo 1955 births 2002 deaths People from Artemisa Province 20th-century Cuban male singers Road incident deaths in Cuba Cuban male songwriters Latin music songwriters