HAVANA, Aug. 24 -- Cuba, in particular its southern province of Cienfuegos, is celebrating the 100th birthday of the island's most famous composer and singer of popular music, Benny More.
Born in 1919, in Santa Isabel de las Lajas, a town in Cienfuegos, about 250 km southeast of Havana, More is remembered every Aug. 24 in his hometown, and his centenary celebrations are now seen across the whole island.
As every year, people in Santa Isabel de las Lajas marched from the main square to the grave of the artist, now a national monument. Families, friends, artists and music fans laid flowers and sang his songs along the way to the monument.
A cultural gala "Waiting for the Centenary" was held Friday evening at the Benny More Cultural Art Center in Cienfuegos, where several acknowledged music bands from the island performed.
For the people of Cienfuegos, More is a symbol of Cuba's musical excellence. A life-size bronze in central Cienfuegos Municipality, the capital city of the province, marks people's reverence for the artist.
The statue has become a must-see attraction for visitors since its erection in 2004.
"Benny is the symbol of Cienfuegos, but he is a figure that goes beyond this province because he was a true musical genius who made the Cuban music known to the world," Adelina Gonzalez, a teacher, told Xinhua.
Son of a single mother and grandson of African slaves, Bartolome Maximiliano More, his real name, was nourished by his ethnic African roots together with the Spanish music traditions.
As a child, he learned to play the guitar and sang at parties until he moved to Havana in 1940, where he spent years performing in cafes, streets and parks.
In 1945 he joined the famous Matamoros band and started an international career in Mexico that would take him in the next two decades to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Jamaica, Haiti and the United States.
The peak of his career came with the creation of his own "The Giant Band," which he called "The Tribu." It debuted in the Cuban capital on Aug. 3, 1953.
The musical genius did not stop working during his last days when he suffered from liver cirrhosis. He died of the disease at the age of 43 on Feb. 16, 1963.
美机场造世界首个宠物航站楼
史上最离谱的猫咪遮羞物
女子奔驰车镶百万施华洛世奇钻石
潜台词 和英国人交流需步步惊心
坐拥儿女心系苍生:威廉王子当起空中救护员
万万没想到!这些地方有wifi
谷歌新CFO承诺加强成本控制
十二星座与中国二十四节气的关系
学生为省钱借花园露营一年
在墨尔本,可以与树通邮件
双语囧研究 无名指比食指长更花心
不堪女客咸猪手:男侍者和苏格兰短裙说拜拜
中国设首个世行“信托基金”
苹果三星与业界协商推出电子SIM卡
万达加速转型 构建四大支柱产业
《湛江宣言》全文
富士康拟将低端制造业从中国转向印度
人见人爱 2个问题决定印象分
创意拿铁:小黄人拉花咖啡萌翻旧金山
企鹅中的旱鸭子:落水后死命挣扎愁煞饲养员
关于马克·扎克伯格和脸书的10个事实(2)
科学家证实葡萄柚具有减肥功效
现金购物减肥 刷卡会买更多垃圾食品
比尔·盖茨的夏季读书清单
万万没想到:这些东西都被送入了太空!
瑞安航空邀乘客为自己代言
盛夏轻奢:三星推出最薄至美手机Galaxy A8
中国电影山寨《赛车总动员》,观众不买账
大圣归来:这只猴子终于惊艳了外国人!
西班牙小镇丧心病狂 市长规定每天午睡3小时
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |