El Guayabero
| Faustino Oramas | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | El Guayabero |
| Born |
June 4, 1911 Holguín, Cuba |
| Died | March 27, 2007 (aged 95) Holguín, Cuba |
| Genres | Trova |
| Occupation(s) | singer; songwriter |
| Instruments | tres, guitar |
| Years active | 1926–2006 |
| Associated acts | Buena Vista Social Club |
Faustino Oramas Osorio, better known as El Guayabero (4 June 1911 – 27 March 2007), was a Cuban singer, tres guitarist and composer, the last surviving member of the traditional Cuban trova. Most of his repertoire consisted of sons and guaracha-sons, many with double entendres in the lyrics. One of his compositions was included in the Buena Vista Social Club album.
When he was 15 years old he began playing the maracas as part of a septet of sones known as La Tropical made up by some friends with the purpose of enjoying and performing at the country dances. During the 1940s, he began his career as composer with "Tumbaíto", a song that was included in Libertad Lamarque's repertoire and title he used as an alias for some time. Afterwards, he composed two sones, "Como vengo este año" and "El Guayabero". He composed the latter when he was performing as tres player in the Trovadores Holguineros ensemble. Pacho Alonso, the well-known Cuban musician, first heard the song and then recorded it in a long-playing record that toured across the world. Later on, the Orquesta Original de Manzanillo used the refrain in a tribute to Faustino who, since then, was known as "El Guayabero".
Skillful master of the double meaning, the Cuban's idiosyncrasy, his ingenuity, witty remarks and his love for highly erotic themes amusingly disguised are some of his main features. Unlike most trovadors, Oramas played sones rather than boleros, though this was also true, to some extent, of the famous Trio Matamoros. His preferred instrument was the tres, which is a typical instrument of the son; most other trovadors such as María Teresa Vera or Carlos Puebla played the Spanish guitar. However, his backing groups usually included a Spanish guitar in the basic rhythm.
He composed the song "Candela" of the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.
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