Silvio Rodríguez and Manuel Garcia

Inspired my his mother’s singing of boleros, Rodriguez learned to play the guitar in 1961 during his time working as a comics designer for a magazine. Whilst honouring his military service, the guitar became a huge part of his life, and became a vehicle for his revolutionary enthusiasm. In 1967 however Rodríguez made his television debut and soon became popular among the Cuban revolutionary youth. Due to the reluctance of the Cuban Culture Ministry to allow U.S musical influences to seep into Cuba, Rodriguez along with Pablo Milanés and Noel Nicola were well looked after and became the country’s neuva trova stars.

The singer-songwriter released his debut album “Días y Flores” in 1975, proving the beginning of a prodigious musical career, carrying the passion of an entire nation. Earlier albums including “Cuando digo futuro”, “Al Final de Este Viaje…” and “Mujeres”, and were largely acoustic releases, showcasing the poetic resilience in Rodriguez’s lyrics. Later albums however including “Rabo de Nube”, “Unicornio”, and “Causas y Azares” were driven by larger sounding instrumentation and electric accompaniment. Following years of attempting to obtain a U.S. visa in 2010 Rodriguez was finally permitted to enter the country in 2010. The singer-songwriter subsequently supported his most recent release, 2010’s “Segunda Cita”, with performances in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Washington and Orlando.