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Rubén
Blades Biography
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Rubén
Blades:
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| Emma, Rubén, Anoland 1949 |
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| Rubén Blades padre (complete
photo) |
Rubén Blades was born on 16 July 1948, of grandparents born in Colombia, St. Lucia, Spain, and New Orleans, USA in the cultural crossroads nation of Panama. From birth, Blades was exposed to music through both of his parents. His mother Anoland Bellido de Luna was born in Cuba and sang and played the piano. His father Rubén Blades Sr. was born in Colombia and played percussion. Radio, playing every kind of music, was a constant presence in their home.
His grandmother Emma Blades Bosques was also a great influence. She was a spiritualist, a Rosicrucian, a vegetarian, a painter, a poet, and a feminist. She taught him to read and exposed him to many ideas.
"My
abuela Emma who was with me at all times, instilled me with a sense
of justice, that we can all serve as part of the solution. That is the
perspective from which I developed and the foundation to help me move
forward."
 In Panama, Blades grew up on U.S. culture and rock & roll. At age 9, he saw Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers in the film Rock, Rock, Rock and decided to write a letter asking to join the group. His mother didn’t mail the letter, but she did buy him a plastic guitar. Then in 1964, civilians were killed and wounded by U.S. soldiers and Canal Zone police during riots that erupted when students tried to fly the flag of Panama next to that of the U.S. at Balboa High School. This event was traumatic for the nation and deeply affected the fifteen-year-old Blades. "They
turned friends into enemies. Even today [1984], that's the pity of U.S.
policy in Latin America." As a student at the University of Panama he composed, sang, and recorded with various groups. including Los Salvajes del Ritmo and Bush y sus Magnificos. When the university closed due to riots in 1968, he traveled to New York City and contacted Pancho Cristal, Cheo Feliciano's producer. Cristal had heard Blades sing in Panama and got him together with “boogaloo” Pete Rodríguez to make a record. From Panama to New York was released in 1970 but didn't attract much attention. Blades says that due to the Che Guevera-inspired song "Juan González", it was banned in 17 countries. |
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Blades returned to his country to finish his law degree. Immediately after graduating he joined his family in Miami, who had been pressured to leave Panama for political reasons. He then returned to New York and took the only job available at Fania Records: in the mailroom. "They
wouldn't record me. I had to push a cart full of mail from 57th
and Broadway to 52nd Street every day."
While the job was not glamorous, it gave him contact with the New York Latin music scene. Performers such as Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz, Nestor Sanchez, Bobby Rodríguez, Tito Puente, Roberto Roena, Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, and Ismael Miranda recorded his compositions. |
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  Their album Siembra (1978) was an international smash hit, with songs and arrangements that spoke to both the head and the feet, and uplifting and compelling social messages. The story song "Pedro Navaja" broke records and remains a beloved classic. "All
of a sudden you had a record that was confronting issues and that
was unheard of at the time."
This ground-breaking album was followed by another, the two part Maestra Vida (1980), a musical drama using characters to explore social issues in a very personal way. Blades blended theatrical and literary concepts with the music of the streets to tell his story of a family in the barrio. |
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In 1982, Blades was given the opportunity to pursue his interest in acting. Fania owner Jerry Massucci offered him a role in a low budget movie entitled The Last Fight, directed by Fred Williamson. "I
played a boxer who also sang, so we could sell a few records."
Although the film was not successful, it gave Blades his first experience in the film medium. The highly acclaimed independent film Crossover Dreams followed in 1985, and his acting career was launched. |
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At the same time, Blades had decided to
form his own band and develop his own musical ideas. Discontented with
Fania’s business practices, he signed with Elektra Records. He formed the Joe Cuba-inspired sextet
Seis del Solar, eliminating the traditional salsa brass section and
experimenting with rock and jazz elements. When he recorded Buscando America
(1984), rock and jazz journalists around the world took notice and
began to write about him and his music.
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After this success, he took a break to attend Harvard University School of Law, with the long-term goal of returning to Panama with the credentials to be taken seriously in politics. He earned a Master's Degree in International Law in 1985. "I
needed something to humble myself, and believe me, that school, which
was no picnic, did it."
The documentary The Return of Ruben Blades captures his graduation, and his return to performing. Escenas (1985)
brought him his first Grammy. His next experiment was Agua de Luna
(1987), inspired by short stories of Colombian magical realist author
Gabriel García Márquez, exploring literary concepts in
songs. Working with rock pioneers Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, and Sting,
he recorded Nothing
But the Truth (1988) where he joined his multi-cultural rhythms
and political themes together with English lyrics. "I want people to acknowledge the possibilities of a Latin artist fully - meaning we can do English, too." The same year, he expressed devotion to his roots as Seis del Solar evolved into Son del Solar, bringing back the brass section for Antecedente (1988), which won him his second Grammy. |
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  His second movie was Crossover Dreams directed by Leon Ichaso. He played a salsa musician trying to introduce himself into the American market, and he also co-wrote the screenplay. It was critically acclaimed and went into general release as a successful independent film. "I can't say enough for the people of East Harlem. They brought us soup and let us film in their homes in exchange for our painting them. Everybody in the community cooperated. It was a Latin effort done by ourselves to help ourselves." 1988 also saw his first important Hollywood film role, in The Milagro Beanfield War directed by Robert Redford. It was followed by a leading role in Dead Man Out (1989), where his portrayal of a killer on death row earned him the Cable ACE Best Actor Award. Other acting credits include: Crazy From the Heart and The Josephine Baker Story (1991), both earning him Emmy nominations; the Broadway musical The Capeman by Paul Simon (1998); the TV series Gideon's Crossing (2000); and Once Upon A Time in Mexico (2003). [See imdb] |
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| "I
started acting by choice, however, when I get involved in something, I
try to learn everything there is, and what I learned in Hollywood and
television in this country is that you can't sit around and wait for
the opportunities to come by." |
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"In
order to sustain the integrity of the work, I felt I had to go out
there on the streets and try to make political change possible through
the political process, not just singing. We proved it could work. We
came in third out of 24 parties, with 18% of the vote. I'm a better,
less selfish person for it." |
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"Racism
is absurd and my new record reflects that." |
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He was honored by
the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences with its Heroes Award in 2004,
and ASCAP honored him with its Founders
Award in
2005. Berklee
College of Music conferred on him an honorary
doctorate in music in
2005.
In 2004 Blades went home to Panama for a five year term as Minister of Tourism, serving his country as he had long hoped to do.
"When
I go back to Panama, I'm going to be very happy to be there
because I really believe in my country and I know we're going to do
good things there. It's not just a romantic dream; we can make things
happen there."
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As guest artist on the 
