Daniel Santos
Born into poverty in Puerto Rico, Daniel Santos became one of the most influential singers and songwriters in Latin and South America during the middle of the century. From the pen of Pedro Flores, his early love-lost lyrics -- a series of aching, mostly one-word hits such as "Despedida," "Obsesión," "Irresistible," "Perdón," "Venganza" -- influenced author Gabriel García Márquez as much as other singers, while his later, patriotic material riled American intelligence officers and inspired Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution.
Santos was born in 1916 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Though he was transplanted from school to the workforce to supplement his family's wages, he later returned to sing in the school choir and also learned English. Still, he was living on his own by the age of 14 and joined the local Trio Lírico for several years. Like many of his countrymen, Santos made the move to New York in the mid-'30s, and impressed Puerto Rican songwriter Pedro Flores with his reading of the maestro's "Amor Perdido."
By 1938, Daniel Santos was performing and recording with the Flores Quartet, with whom he recorded most of his early hits: "Tú Serás Mía," "Venganza," "Esperanza Inútil," "Perdón," "Irresistible," and the definitive version of Flores' best composition, "Despedida." After Miguelito Valdés left Xavier Cugat's Orchestra for a solo career in 1942, Santos hopped from Flores into Cugat's famous orchestra, but soon after, he was drafted to serve in the military.
Santos returned from war with a renewed sense of purpose for his singing career. He began recording and writing patriotic material, working in conjunction with Pedro Ortiz Dávila on "Los Patriotas." Beginning in 1946, he spent much time performing in Cuba and was inspired to write dozens of songs, one of which ("Sierra Maestra") was broadcast by Castro during the Movimiento 26 de Julio. By 1961, however, Santos grew wary of the movement, specifically the policy of training children to fight in the army. He continued performing in the United States as well as Latin America, performing his most famous songs and relating many anecdotes concerning his wild private life (during his early years, he'd reportedly spent time in jails all over the continent). He was living in quiet retirement in Florida at his death from a heart attack in 1992.
© John Bush /TiVo
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Ídolos De América
World - Released by Musart-Balboa on 16 Feb 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Historia Músical - 40 Éxitos
World - Released by 2015 Discos Fuentes on 31 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Calypsos (Mono Version)
World - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grandes Éxitos De Daniel Santos
World - Released by Fania on 1 Jan 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Reviviendo el Ayer
World - Released by Aquellas Canciones Records on 15 Jan 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Daniel Santos y Checho Moraza
World - Released by Pueblo Viejo on 9 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Le Canta a Cuba
World - Released by Tigueraso Records on 5 Feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
En Navidad
Christmas Music - Released by Lorenzo Music on 15 Mar 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Exitos
Brazil - Released by Rise International Music Ltd on 17 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Daniel Santos (Grabaciones Originales)
Bolero - Released by RCA Records Label on 27 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Serie Inmortales - El Bolero Inmortal
World - Released by YOYO USA, Inc. on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reviviendo el Ayer
Bolero - Released by RCA Records Label on 26 Feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Recordando Exitos
Daniel Santos, Julio Jaramillo
World - Released by WM Mexico on 1 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bolero, Guaracha, Rumba...
World - Released by White Room Music on 12 Jun 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Coleccion Original RCA
Bolero - Released by RCA Records Label on 7 Nov 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Daniel Santos El Inquieto Anacobero Volume 4
World - Released by YOYO USA Digital on 20 Dec 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Latin America - Released by Brownbeats Records on 1 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tres Grandes De América
World - Released by WM Mexico on 1 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -