Pepe Sanchez: The Father of Bolero

The Excelencias Group gives you details on the life and work of Pepe Sanchez, an outstanding Santiago-born troubadour that enriched the Cuban musical heritage and wrote the first Latin American bolero.

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His parents named him Jose Viviano Sanchez, although everybody called him Pepe Sanchez. He was born on March 19, 1856, and his house later became a perfect place for gatherings, always with fine Cuban music and some friends that admired young Pepe’s vocation for trova and musical skills. Pepe Sanchez was a self-taught musician and a professional tailor.  

His house was visited by boldface names of Cuba’s pro-independence war, such as Antonio and Jose Maceo, Quintin Banderas and Guillermon Moncada; as well as remarkable Jorge Anckermann and Brindis de Salas, among many others.

This man was born a cultural promoter due to his talent as a social leader and favorable economic situation that would help him foster projects to shed light on authentic songs that deserved the respect and admiration of Santiago at the very beginning and went international.

Pepe Sanchez has been labeled Father of the Latin American Bolero due to the sublime piece entitled “Tristezas”. He wrote it in 1883 and it is structurally made up of two musical periods with 16 times each, separated by an instrumental passage that was melodically played with a guitar.

His extensive musical work includes guarachas, anthems, sons and other genders. The works were characterized by refined vocabulary, which made it be sublime. Pepe’s voice gave a touch of Cuban identity and authenticity, accompanied by his inseparable guitar.

Some of the most acclaimed titles were "Me entristeces, mujer” (popularly known as “Tristeza”), "Pobre artista", "Elvira", "Cuando la expresión de tu canto", "Cuba, mi patria querida", "Caridad", "Adan y Eva", "Esperanza", "Redondilla”, "Angeles", "Naturaleza" and "Himno a Maceo".

Sindo Garay, another emblematic troubadour from the Hero City had Pepe Sanchez as his mentor, who gave him his first guitar.

Pepe Sanchez was the director and founder of famous Quinteto de Trovadores Santiagueros, made up of Pepe Figarola (lead singer), Bernabe Ferrer and Luis Felipe Portes (vocals), Emiliano Blez (guitarist) and himself (lead guitar).

Pepe Sanchez suffered from angina pectoris and passed away on January 3, 1918 at the age of 62, in Santiago de Cuba.

Due to his musical work, Santiago de Cuba has held, since the 1960s, “Pepe Sanchez” International Trova Festival, which this time round is going to take place on March 18 - 22. The event pays tribute to the birthday of the prestigious songwriter and guitarist, as well as the Troubadour Day in Cuba.