Eliades Ochoa Bustamante, a Cuban guitarist, singer, and composer raised in a rural environment. He was born on June 22, 1946, in Loma de la Avispa, Songo-La Maya, Santiago de Cuba province. He acquired his artistic heritage from his father, who in those rugged mountains had a small musical group that enlivened parties with other relatives from the area, putting together décimas, quartets, and improvisations.

He began playing his first notes on the guitar at just 6 years old. His career developed through self-taught work, as he began working to earn a living playing his music in the neighborhoods of Santiago de Cuba in 1958.

In the early 1960s, he was part of the musical group Oriental Quintet. Later, in 1963, his artistic career took off, as a founding member of the radio program Trinchera Agraria, broadcast on CMKC (City of Cuba Radio). In 1971, he left radio and began playing at the Casa de la Trova in Santiago de Cuba (Heredia 208, between San Pedro and San Felix, Santiago de Cuba) with the Quinteto de la Trova (Typical Oriental Quintet) and the Septeto Típico Oriental (Typical Oriental Septet). Later, he accepted the invitation of musician Francisco Cobas Lao to join the Cuarteto Patria (Homeland Quartet). In 1978, he became the group’s musical director, vocalist, and guitarist.

With the arrival of Eliades Ochoa, Cuarteto Patria began its international career, performing in European countries, Mexico, and even the United States. Until then, the quartet’s repertoire consisted of guarachas and Creole songs. Eliades went further, incorporating Afro-descendant songs, changüí, instrumentals, and sones. In 1979, they won the award for best traditional music group in their category.

The tres that Eliades Ochoa plays is more than just a novelty; it is a personal signature due to its harmonic and timbral sound. His interpretations clearly show an emphasis on Cuban identity, reflected in each of his recordings.

In 1997, along with other prestigious musicians, he won a Grammy Award for his CD, Buena Vista Social Club, in the Tropical Music category. Other artists on the album included Juan de Marcos González, Rubén González, Raúl Planas, Compay Segundo, Pío Leyva, Ibrahim Ferrer, Manuel Licea (Puntillita), Manuel Mirabal (El Guajiro), and Joachim Cooder. Eliades Ochoa has earned several Gold and Platinum Records for copies sold of this album.

In 1998, he recorded the album Cubafrica with Manu Dibango. In mid-1999, his new album, Sublime Ilusión, marked a turning point in Eliades’ career, being released worldwide and performing live in the United States and Europe, filling venues and theaters. For this, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of “Best Traditional Tropical and Latin Album.” His album Tributo al Cuarteto Patria received a Grammy nomination in 2001.

That same year, he recorded the CDs Continental, with Charles Mussewhite, and Africando, with Cameroonian saxophonist Mango Dibango. He also won the Music Award from the General Society of Authors and Publishers of Spain (SGAE) and the Association of Performers and Performers of Spain (AIE), the latter for the best traditional music album.

In 2004 he recorded the song Hemingway with the Dutch band Bløf, which appeared on their 2006 album Umoja.

He participated in the 18th edition of the multicultural and multiethnic WOMAD 2009 Festival in Cáceres. This event represents a gathering of world music, art, and dance, bringing together groups from all continents.

In 2010, they presented the world premiere of their collaborative work, Afrocubismo, at the La Mar de Músicas Festival in Cartagena, Colombia. The musical project embraces “a tremendous combination,” in the words of Eliades Ochoa, of musicians and singers from Mali and Cuba, most of them self-taught, born into families of musicians who pass on their need for music as a means of speech from generation to generation.

In November 2010, he appeared at the 27th Madrid Jazz Festival with this project, performing alongside Malians Toumani Diabate, Kassemady Diabate, Bassekou Kouyate, Djelimady Tounkara and Lassana Diabate.

For 2011, Eliades Ochoa plans to record three new albums at Siboney Studios, part of the Recording and Publishing Company (EGREM) (1008 3rd Street between 10th and 12th Streets, Miramar, Playa, Havana), featuring songs representative of traditional Cuban music. One of the albums will be titled “My Guitar Sings” and will be purely instrumental, while the other two will be dedicated to old boleros, sones, guarachas, and various other exponents of the national musical genre. They will include anthological pieces such as “Where Will You Go,” “Fifth Patio,” “The Peanut Vendor,” “Siboney,” “Lamento Borincano,” “Los Ejes de Mi Carreta,” “Molling Coffee,” “Madrigal,” “Came Verde,” “La Comparsa,” “Quiéreme Mucho,” “Leaves Dead,” “Silence,” and “Macorina.”

Eliades Ochoa has toured countries such as Martinique, Grenada, Curaçao, Nicaragua, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Japan, among others. In the United States, he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and in France at the Olympia in Paris.

Among the most important events in which this distinguished Cuban musician has participated are: the “Pepe Sánchez” Trova Festival (early 1960s); Carifesta Festival in Barbados, Grenada and Curaçao (1981); Adolfo Guzmán Festival (1980); Varadero Festival (1988); Emi sonian Folk Music Festival in Washington (1989); Caribbean Festival in Santiago de Cuba; Son Festivals in Santiago de Cuba; World Record Fair in Cannes, France (1999); Cuban Film Festival. Performance and cast of the Buena Vista Social Club, Havana (2000); Roskilde Festival (2000); TLN Telelatino at the Reel World Film Festival, Toronto (2001); Cuban Record Fair in Havana (2001) and Bolero Festival in Santiago de Cuba (2001).

Among his awards are: Best traditional music group in its format in 1979; Distinction for its outstanding work in the promotion of culture in 1989; National Vanguard of the group, 1984; National Vanguard of the group, 2000; National Vanguard of the group, 2001; Eliades Ochoa, Laureate Artist of the Republic of Cuba, 1990; 10th Anniversary of the MININT (Ministry of National Statistics), 1990; 15 Years of work distinguished by culture, 1991; Tribute from the National EGREM as a genuine representative of Traditional Music, 2000; Special Mention at the Cuban Record Fair, Havana. 1997; Lucas Award for the best video clip “Píntate los labios María”; Replica of Máximo Gómez’s machete, Havana. 2001; Recognition for being, at the age of 55, a true exponent of the best traditional Cuban music, Havana, 2001; and the “Alejo Carpentier” Medal, 2002.

Throughout his artistic career, Eliades Ochoa has preserved and defended traditional Cuban music, becoming a faithful exponent of it. He is considered one of the most important Cuban soneros of all time.

Discography: The Lion Is Loose (1995), Sublime Illusion (1999), Tribute to the Patria Quartet (2000), I Am Like Never Before (2002), A Güajiro Without Borders (2005), Afrocubism (2010).

Discography: CD Buena Vista Social Club (1997), Cubafrica (1998), Continental (2001).