Enrique González "La Pulga"

Enrique González Castillo (1890 – January 1, 1957), nicknamed La Pulga (The Flea), was a Cuban singer-songwriter from Santiago de Cuba.[2] His two most famous works are the boleros "Injusta duda" and "Lupina", which have been recorded by artists such as Arsenio Rodríguez and Compay Segundo, respectively. The latter was written for danzonete singer Pablo Quevedo in 1934.[3] His repertoire included boleros, canciones, guarachas and guajiras written by himself. The height of his career took place in the 1930s and '40s in Havana, where he was the guitarist for Benny Moré before he joined Conjunto Matamoros to tour Mexico.[1][3] In addition, he was part of several other vocal groups, collaborating with famous guarachero Ñico Saquito.[2]

Enrique González
Birth nameEnrique González Castillo[1]
Also known asLa Pulga
Born1890
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
DiedJanuary 1, 1957(1957-01-01) (aged 66–67)
Cuba
GenresTrova, bolero, canción, guaracha, guajira
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, voice

In March 2014, Cuban trova musicians paid homage to González in his hometown of Santiago.[4]

Works edit

  • "El que usted conoce no soy yo" (guaracha) - Recorded by Sonora Matancera feat. Rey Caney on October 8, 1958
  • "Injusta duda" (bolero canción) - Recorded by Arsenio Rodríguez on January 22, 1952; Los Compadres on October 25, 1957; Los Guaracheros de Oriente ca. 1958, among others
  • "Lupina" (bolero) - Originally recorded in 1934 by Pablo Quevedo with Cheo Belén Puig's orchestra (radio broadcast); later recorded by the same orchestra feat. Ñico Membiela in 1954; also recorded by Compay Segundo and others
  • "Sublime indecisión" (bolero) - Recorded by Cheo Belén Puig's orchestra feat. Ñico Membiela in 1954
  • "Mi tesorito" (bolero) - Recorded by Cheo Belén Puig's orchestra feat. Ñico Membiela in 1954
  • "Una sola miradita" (bolero) - Recorded by Cheo Belén Puig's orchestra feat. Ñico Membiela in 1954

References edit

  1. ^ a b Suárez Hernández, Senén (June 23, 2004). "Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré". CUBARTE (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Orovio, Helio (2004). Cuban Music from A to Z. Bath, UK: Tumi. p. 95. ISBN 0822332124.
  3. ^ a b Bigott, Luis Antonio (1993). Historia del bolero cubano, 1883-1950. Caracas, Venezuela: Ediciones Los Heraldos Negros. pp. 139, 140, 243.
  4. ^ Guevara Dublín, Gladys Lucía (March 20, 2014). "Crónicas de un festival: El Sendero Póstumo de los Trovadores". Dirección Provincial de Cultura, Santiago de Cuba (in Spanish). Retrieved May 31, 2015.

External links edit