Miguel Matamoros, a renowned Cuban guitarist and composer, was born on May 8, 1894, in the working-class neighborhood of Los Hoyos, located in the province of Santiago de Cuba. As a child, he worked in various jobs to support his family, including chauffeur, carpenter, altar boy at the Church of Christ, tile maker, and potter, among others. He possessed a natural talent for music, so his musical training was self-taught. He received guitar lessons from Ramón Navarro Pérez. In 1909, he formed a duo with Trino Martinelli; he also worked with Salvador Adams.
Together with his friends, he gave serenades and entertained at popular festivals in his town’s neighborhoods at just 15 years old. The first musical instrument Matamoros played at festivals was the harmonica, and later the Chinese cornet.
El Consejo (The Council), the name given to the bolero that was the first musical piece composed by this musician, in 1910, when he was 16 years old. Little by little, he delved into the wonderful world of music, reaching the level of traditional trova, learning from great exponents of the genre such as Pepe Sánchez, Sindo Garay, and Alberto Villalón.
In 1912, Miguel gave his first public performance at the Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba, where some of his songs were well-known.
Matamoros founded the Trio Oriental in 1924, where he served as director, guitarist, and lead vocalist; Miguel Bisbé sang backing vocals and played the claves; and Alfonso del Río played accompanying guitar. That same year, Rafael Cueto joined the band, replacing Alfonso del Río, and they moved to the Cuban capital. There, they performed in various venues, including the Campoamor and Teatro Actualidades theaters.
A year later, in 1925, he founded the Matamoros Trio, made up of Rafael Cueto (guitar) and Siro Rodríguez (maracas and backing vocals). They made their first recording in 1928. They brilliantly combined bolero and son, and with this style of musical interpretation, they achieved great popularity both within and outside of Cuba.
In 1928, he made his first trip to the United States with the Trio; in 1929, they visited Mexico; in 1930, they performed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and in 1933, they toured Venezuela, Panama, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.
Miguel Matamoros founded other groups such as the Septeto Matamoros, made up of Miguel Matamoros (leader, guitar and lead vocals); Francisco Portela (Paquito) (double bass); Manuel Poveda (bongo); Manuel Borgellá (Mozo) (tres); José Mecía (Pepe) (trumpet); Siro Rodríguez (backing vocals and maracas) and Rafael Cueto (guitar).
Also to their credit is the Conjunto Matamoros, created in 1945, which was made up of Miguel Matamoros (leader, guitar and lead vocals); Rafael Cueto (guitar); Siro Rodríguez (backing vocals and maracas); Benny Moré (vocalist); Ramón Dorca (piano); José Mecía and José Quintero (trumpet); Cristóbal Mendive (double bass), and Agustín Gutiérrez (bongo drums). That same year they traveled to Mexico, where they performed in cabarets and theaters.
With this group, he made more than 100 recordings, some of which featured performances with renowned vocalists such as Benny Moré and Carlos Embale. He performed in countries such as Santo Domingo, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and New York. With his ensemble, Miguel Matamoros refined the orchestral style of the musical genre he created, the Bolero Son.
In 1960, he made his final trip to the United States. Los Matamoros performed for the Cuban people for the last time in March 1960, and retired from the stage shortly after.
The Septeto Matamoros was founded on June 12, 1996, to continue the musical tradition of the Matamoros lineage. In 2011, during that year’s Cubadisco International Fair, a life-size bronze sculpture of Miguel Matamoros was unveiled. It was placed on the corner of Callejón del Carmen and San Bartolomé in his hometown of Santiago de Cuba. It was the work of visual artist José Rolando Montero.
Matamoros possessed great talent as a singer, able to play a high A with ease; as a prima guitarist, he provided introductions and also had a highly personal, evocative, and colorful riff.
Miguel Matamoros’s musical work is vast in terms of both the number and diversity of musical genres. He explored almost every genre and rhythm of Cuban popular music, composing around 198 pieces, including boleros, sones, pasodobles, habaneras, and polkas, among others. It is said that the only genre he did not explore was rumba, in its guaguancó form.
As a composer, Matamoros is not known for his grand modulations or extra-tonal harmonic shifts. His melodies are simple. He composed the Bolero Son, “El Trío y el ciclón,” based on his experiences with Siro and Cueto in 1930, when they were performing in the Dominican Republic during a hurricane.
Many of his songs are considered true classics and have been covered by numerous Cuban and international music stars, such as Lágrimas Negras. Among his works are:
Afro-son: Bing-bong-bang; He beat drums.
Blue-son: Consciousness. Danzón: The Chinese Horn.
Danzonete: Demonstration.
Bolero: What do you care?, Desolation, Delirium of love, Sweet mouth, Sweet rapture, The advice, Elixir of life, Oath, The miraculous drug, Light that does not shine, Forgetfulness, Promise or offering, Mystical claim, I do not doubt your love, To my friends, How much I love you, Delights of love, Pure love, Return of love, You lie, Distrust.
Bolero-Son: On the banks of the Guaso; The trio and the cyclone; Black tears; Bewitching eyes; Hidden sorrows; Majura; Plea for love; Yes, sir, of course; My coquette; More than love; Your feeling; Love and doubt; Learn; As is my love; Unfortunate; The queen of my hut; Because I am a beggar; Unhappy dream; I call you; You lost; Heart; A scolding of love; I understand; Me too; My mother and the war; Country rumba; Sad, very sad; Realities; What is love; My only mouth; But not like yours.
Capricho: Warnings; Falsaria; Why did they happen?; Visions. Criolla: Bertica; The Triumphant Night; The Useless Test; My Rose.
Conga: Happy conga; Quirimbamba; The sugar mill working; it’s my good conga; Conga blood; Let’s go to the conga; The conga of the good Chinese; Hey my conga; Caramba; Juan the waffle maker; Larará; My little black conguita; Don’t confuse it; My president.
Guaracha: The Mulatto Anita; My Opinion; Canuto Is Good; They Tell Me That…; Television; Practical Advice; I’m a Maraquero. Tango: The Little Orphan.
Waltz-song: Nightmare
Guaracha-Son: Comments from the land; Postcards from my Cuba; Dance my song.
Habanera: Spring Butterfly. Pasodoble: Juan Simón; Bullfighter. Punto: The Cart and the Cane.
Rumba: Today the rumba; It’s going to die. Samba: Nothing more.
They are: Mama, they are from the hill; Tearful bomb; Singing goes far; He who sows his corn; The vote and the woman; Hours of passion; Kill, God forgives; My clothes; Poor bohemian; Give me the ticket; Santiaguera; If he takes the train; Tito broke my typewriter; You’ll see; The paralytic; Bath leaves; Antonio’s wife; Lucifer; Oh, fallacious!; Grandma; Barcachán; My wife behaves badly; Things of the past; The bee stung you; Divorce in Spain; Nudism in Cuba; The gravediggers; The maraca of Cuba; Fishing; Bone only; Fake love; My little doll, Who threw the bomb?; The Code of Social Defense; Havana-Santiago; La Ma’Teodora; Poor Chinaman; Happy repetition; Don’t go; my countryman; They are and they are not; Five reales; Arajimba; When he leaves; Discreet desire; Pancha’s Husband; I Sniff; The Woman in Charge; The Ruin of My Hut; Crazy Ambition; Malanga; My Plan; Hear My Key; Hear Now; Poor Chauffeur; Seducer; You Know; Shrimp and Mamoncillos; Hear the Cha-Cha; Play Ball; I Want to Laugh; Dance My Pregón; and My Coffee Maker; Dry Coconut; Among Gypsies; Rowing; Drummer; I’ll Dance Your Tune; I Don’t Want to Be Fooled; Hey, Brunette.
Miguel Matamoros, a leading exponent of trova and son, died on April 15, 1971 in Santiago de Cuba.