Rosendo Ruiz Suárez, a prominent Cuban composer and guitarist, was born on March 1, 1885, in Santiago de Cuba. From a young age, he expressed his musical calling when he traded his kite for an old mandolin without strings, which he attempted to complete with wires until a neighbor gave him the strings.

When American troops attacked Santiago de Cuba during the military intervention, his bandurria was smashed to pieces; but that wasn’t enough to stop him from learning to play the guitar. Later, with great effort, he managed to save some money and finally bought his first real guitar. Later, he met José Pepe Sánchez, who is rightly considered the Father of Santiago de Cuba’s Trova, a man who taught him a great deal. He even joined a musical group with which Sánchez regularly organized parties for the wealthy Santiago de Cuba community.

In 1902, when he was just over 15 years old, Rosendo Ruiz composed his first work, “Venganza de Amor,” which premiered at Havana’s Teatro Martí by the famous José “El Galleguito” Parapar in 1911. That same year, he achieved his first major success as a composer with the premiere of his song “Entre mares y arenas,” with lyrics by Francisco Vélez Alvarado. María Teresa Vera was the first to record a Rosendo Ruiz song, in 1914, with Rafael Zequeira as the second vocalist.

That same year, he traveled to Cienfuegos and there met Teresa Quevedo Gándara, who would become his lifelong wife. Around that time, other renowned works by the illustrious troubadour appeared, such as Rosina and Virginia, named after the girlfriends of two of his friends; False Oath and Confession, the latter one of his most internationally recognized songs of that era.

Because of his humble origins, Rosendo Ruiz, like many other composers, was often a victim of social injustice and discrimination in all its forms; something that was reflected day after day in the news and events.

In 1917, he composed the hymn “Redención” (Redemption), a tribute to Labor Day, which is probably the first labor anthem written in Latin America. Its premiere took place on May 1, 1919, by a twelve-voice choir and orchestra at the Payret Theater (Paseo de Martí No. 513, Old Havana, Havana). A year later, his son, Rosendo Ruiz Quevedo, was born. He is the composer of songs and boleros such as “Hasta mañana vida mía,” “No, ya no te puedo amar,” “Bibelot de chocolate,” and very popular cha-cha-chás such as “Rico vacilón,” “Los marcianos,” and “Los fantasmas.”
In 1920, Rosendo Ruiz settled in the Jesús María neighborhood of Havana, where he began earning a living as a tailor while also composing and playing the guitar. Over time, he began associating with other greats of Cuban music such as Antonio María Romeu and Sindo Garay. While in the capital, he began participating in and leading renowned groups across the island, such as Cuarteto Cuba, Trío Habana, Dúo Embeleso, and Trío Azul, which he formed with Santiago singers Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe and Enrique Valls.
In 1922 he wrote a Son entitled “Lo que dice Aniceto” (What Aniceto Says), and then “La chiquita de Bayamo” ​​(The Little Girl from Bayamo) and “Tápame, I’m Cold”, a recording made in New York by María Teresa Vera’s Sexteto Occidente.
In 1926, Rosendo Ruiz founded the Cuarteto Cuba with Vitaliano Matas, Eusebio Corzo, and Rafael Ruiz. Three years later, he formed the Trio Habana with Emilio Betancourt and Enrique Hernández. That same year, he received a Diploma of Honor for his important musical creations at the International Exposition in Seville, Spain.
For several years, he taught guitar lessons to many troubadours of the time. In 1939, he wrote Practical Studies on the Guitar: An Accompaniment System, a work that has been an important tool for Cuban guitarists for generations.
In 1942, Guillermo Portabales released the Guajira: Flor de amor on CD with the Havana Trio; many years later, in 2004, it became the title track for one of the albums by world-renowned Cuban artist Omara Portuondo.
In the 1950s, Rosendo Ruiz formed a traditional orchestra with which he made a wide variety of recordings. In 1958, he joined a group that combined rock and cha-cha-cha, called Los Rockin’ Chá. With this group, he had the opportunity to record two pieces: “Ronckin’ Chá” and “Rockin’ Guapachá.”
His work is considered one of the creators of the Feeling group, of which he is recognized as one of the founders. Along with other authors from this movement, he founded the publishing house Musicabana.
In 1967, he was elected president of the Forum de la Trova, an event held at the José Martí National Library (Independence Avenue and 20 de Mayo Street, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). For many years, he continued to guide singers and guitarists interested in avoiding ignorance regarding the secrets of traditional Cuban song.
Rosendo Ruiz’s work was enormously varied and extensive, as he composed in almost every popular genre. A lifetime dedicated to Cuban music is reason enough to consider him one of the four great pillars of Cuban Traditional Trova, along with Alberto Villalón, Manuel Corona, and Sindo Garay.
Rosendo Ruiz Suárez died in Cuba on January 1, 1983, at the age of 97.