From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polo Montañez (June 5, 1955 - November 26,
2002) was a Cuban singer and
songwriter.
Montañez was born Fernando Borrego Linares in
Sierra del Rosario, Pinar del Río, in a farm known as El
Brujito. At an early age he worked various jobs including
driving a tractor, milking cows, making coal, assisting on the
family farm, and as a lumberjack. In his spare time, Montañez would
go from house to house singing and later began to sing in local
parties and family gatherings.
In 1994, Montañez formed his own ensemble of family and friends.
He quickly became the house act at a resort in the nearby touristic
community of Las
Terrazas, and in 1999, Montañez signed with European
record label Lusafrica after being discovered by one of their
directors that was staying at the resort.
Montañez had his biggest success in March 2000 with his first CD
"Guajiro Natural" and the song "Un montón de Estrellas". He became
known as the Guajiro Natural (Natural Countryman)
because of his humble personality and songs about the peasant life
in Cuba.
Polo Montañez died on November 26, 2002, six days after being
hospitalized in the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital, as a result
of a tragic car accident in the Coronela zone near San
Cristóbal, Pinar del Río. The Centro Cultural (Cultural Centre) on
the main square in Viñales, Pinar del Rio, is named in his
memory.
Discography
- Guajiro Natural (2000)
- Guitarra Mía (2002)
- Memoria
(2004)
External
links