Compay Segundo Biography Quotes 23 Report mistakes

Early Life
Maximo Francisco Repilado Munoz, known to the world as Compay Segundo, was born on November 18, 1907, in the Oriente region of Cuba, near Santiago de Cuba. He grew up in a musical environment where rural son and trova traditions were part of daily life. From a young age he gravitated toward stringed instruments and melody, learning guitar and tres while also developing a deep, resonant singing voice that would later become his signature. Like many in Santiago, he combined work with his musical apprenticeship, at one point rolling cigars to earn a living, a craft he would affectionately carry with him throughout his career and public persona.

Musical Beginnings
As a young man he gained experience in local ensembles and bands, absorbing the repertoire of son, bolero, and guaracha that circulated through the eastern provinces and in Havana. His formative years coincided with the consolidation of the Cuban son as the island's most influential popular genre, and he developed a keen ear for close harmony singing, rhythmic guitar patterns, and the conversational flow of verse that marks the trova tradition. By the early 1930s he was active in Havana's vibrant music scene, moving between radio, dances, and recording dates as opportunities arose. The blend of countryside roots and urban polish that he fashioned in these years would define his style for decades.

Los Compadres and the Birth of "Compay Segundo"
Compay Segundo's stage name came directly from his role as the second voice in a celebrated harmony duo. In the 1940s he joined forces with the gifted singer and guitarist Lorenzo Hierrezuelo to form Los Compadres. The colloquial "compay", short for compadre, captured their friendly, rural spirit, while "segundo" referred to his part as the lower, harmonizing voice. With their crisp guitars, intuitive vocal blend, and memorable refrains, Los Compadres toured widely and became fixtures on radio and records, carrying the sound of Cuban son and trova across the island and beyond. When he later left the duo, Lorenzo continued the project with his brother Reinaldo Hierrezuelo (known as Rey Caney), while Compay pursued his own groups and repertoire, but the formative experience of Los Compadres permanently linked his name with the rich tradition of two-voice Cuban harmony.

Composer and Instrument Maker
Beyond singing and guitar work, Compay Segundo possessed a practical, inventive musical mind. Seeking fuller harmonies without the bulk of an expanded ensemble, he created the armonico, a seven-string instrument that bridges the tres and the guitar. With its extended range and distinctive voicings, the armonico allowed him to anchor the rhythm section while slipping in passing chords and inner lines, giving small groups a broader harmonic canvas. As a composer he favored elegant, deceptively simple melodies grounded in the cadences of the countryside. His song "Chan Chan", with its hypnotic progression and storytelling lyric, became an anthem of Cuban son. Pieces such as "Macusa" and "Sarandonga" likewise reflect his gift for pairing memorable hooks with the earthy poetry of everyday life. His writing circulated among singers and bands long before his name was known worldwide, a testament to the songcraft at the heart of his artistry.

Renewed Fame and Buena Vista Social Club
In the 1990s, Compay Segundo experienced a remarkable late-career renaissance. Producer Nick Gold and bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez convened veteran Cuban musicians for recording projects in Havana, with guitarist and producer Ry Cooder facilitating an album that would become a global phenomenon: Buena Vista Social Club. Compay's voice, guitar, and armonico were central to the sessions; the album opened with his "Chan Chan", a statement of roots and continuity that set the tone for the entire project. He performed and recorded alongside peers and friends including Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Ruben Gonzalez, Eliades Ochoa, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal, Barbarito Torres, Pio Leyva, and Amadito Valdes. The music crossed borders quickly, and Wim Wenders's documentary film further amplified their international profile, capturing Compay's charisma, relaxed authority, and unfailing sense of musical conversation. Concerts followed in prestigious halls, including Carnegie Hall, where audiences encountered a master who seemed to embody a century of Cuban popular song.

Later Years and Legacy
Compay Segundo continued touring and recording into his nineties, fronting his own ensemble, Compay Segundo y su Grupo, and mentoring younger musicians who were eager to learn the subtleties of son and trova from a living source. He balanced wit and gravity onstage, often with a cigar in hand, delivering songs with an ease that belied the craft behind them. As an elder statesman he became a cultural ambassador, welcomed at home in Cuba and abroad, where his presence symbolized the resilience and warmth of Cuban music.

He died on July 13, 2003, in Havana. By the time of his passing he had grown from a regional talent into a figure of international renown, thanks not only to the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon but to an entire lifetime of careful songcraft, ensemble discipline, and melodic invention. His influence can be heard in modern son and trova interpretations, in the enduring popularity of "Chan Chan", and in the broader embrace of Cuban music on the world stage. Colleagues such as Eliades Ochoa and Omara Portuondo have continued to spotlight his songs, while the musicians who shared the Buena Vista projects with him have carried forward the collaborative spirit he embodied. The instrument he devised, the armonico, stands as a concrete reminder of his pragmatic creativity, and his nickname, born of harmony singing with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo in Los Compadres, has become synonymous with the very sound of Cuban son.

Our collection contains 23 quotes who is written by Compay, under the main topics: Wisdom - Music - Poetry - Peace - Work Ethic.