César Portillo de la Luz
César Portillo César Portillo de la Luz | |
---|---|
Born | October 31, 1922 Havana, Cuba |
Origin | Havana |
Died | May 4, 2013 (aged 90) Havana |
Genres | Bolero, filin |
Occupation(s) | Musician, lyricist, composer, housepainter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | 1940s–2013 (till death) |
César Portillo de la Luz (October 31, 1922 – May 4, 2013) was a Cuban musician, lyricist and composer. Born in Havana, Cuba, Portillo is credited with founding the
Early life
Born on October 31,[4] 1922 in Havana, Cuba to a cigar-roller, Portillo taught himself play the guitar. At first, he painted houses to earn his living and supplemented his income by giving guitar lessons.[5] In 1946, he made his debut as a professional guitar player on radio. A weekly slot on Radio Mil Diez followed, which increased his popularity.
Career and death
Portillo had his own show titled Feeling Season.[6] Portillo received international prominence after his 1946 romance song "Contigo en la Distancia" ("With You in the Distance"[6]) was performed by Andy Russell.[5] Portillo never revealed the identity of the woman who supposedly inspired him to write "Contigo en la Distancia".[7] He is credited with founding the filin music genre, which was popular in the 1950s.[8] Starting from the 1940s to the 1950s, Portillo actively performed at bars and clubs.[4] More than a hundred different cover versions of his songs have been recorded internationally.[3]
Portillo was awarded the Premio Latino a Toda Una Vida by the Spanish Academy of the Arts and Lyrics of Music at a ceremony held in Madrid in 2004.[9][10] His songs like "Contigo en la distancia", "Tú mi delirio", "Sabrosón", "Noche cubana", "Realidad y Fantasía" and "Canción de un festival" have been performed by many well-established artists worldwide, including Nat King Cole, Christina Aguilera, José José, Luis Miguel and Lucho Gatica.[1] He died on May 4, 2013,[11] in Havana, Cuba, of an unspecified cause.[1] In accordance with Portillo's requests, his body was cremated.[1]
See also
- Music of Cuba
- Deaths in 2013
References
- ^ The Miami Herald. May 4, 2013.
- ISBN 9780813547572.
- ^ a b Aquique, Dariela (May 5, 2013). "Cesar Portillo de la Luz Dies at 90". Havana Times.
- ^ a b "César Portillo de la Luz, La Habana, 1922". Soy Cubana. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9781858287614.
- ^ a b Sublette 2007, p. 528.
- ISBN 9781578603916.
- ISBN 9780810125247.
- ^ "César Portillo de la Luz". EnCaribe. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "News from south of the border". Billboard. April 24, 2004. p. 32.
- ^ "Fallece el músico cubano César Portillo, autor de "Contigo en la distancia"". Diariovasco (in Spanish). May 4, 2013.
External links
- César Portillo de la Luz at IMDb
Bibliography
- Sublette, Ned (2007). Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781569764206.