Rubén González

Rubén González is one of the great Afro-Cuban pianists. Considered a child genius, this pianist graduated from the Cienfuegos Conservatory in 1934. Although he gave Medical school a try, his passion for music was much stronger and led him to drop out of med school and move to Havana in 1941 to be a full time musician.

In Havana, after recording with Arsenio Rodríguez, he joined the Orquesta de Los Hermanos, where percussionist Mongo Santamaría also played. He then lived in Panama and Argentina for quite a while, where he took the stage with tango musicians. In the early 60’s he returned to Havana, where he played with several cabaret bands, until joining Enrique Jorrin’s (creator of the chachachá) band. He stayed on with this band for 25 years, until Jorrin passed away. Despite having ended up as the band’s leader, a strong case of arthritis forced him to announce his withdrawal in the mid 80’s.

Things began to change when he recorded with the Afro-Cuban All Stars in 1996 "A todo el mundo le gusta", which attracted the world’s attention to Cuban music. His work in Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club, made him an international legend. After signing with World Circuit, Cooder’s record label, he released his album debut ("Introducing Rubén González") at the age of 78, which was followed up by three more records in the following years.

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