- Antonio Machin
Infobox Person
name=Antonio Machín
caption=
birth_date=February 11 ,1903
birth_place=Sagua La Grande, Cuba
death_date=August 4 ,1977
death_place=Madrid, Spain:"Machín redirects here. For the volcano in
Colombia seeCerro Machín ".Antonio Machín (born Antonio Abad Lugo-Machín on
February 11 ,1903 inSagua la Grande ,Cuba -August 4 ,1977 inMadrid ,Spain ) was a Cuban singer ofbolero s andballad s. He is best known for singing "El Manisero ", "Dos Gardenias", and "Angelitos Negros". His version of "El Manisero", recorded in 1930, was the first million record seller for a Cuban artist.His father, Antonio Lugo, was a Spaniard from Galicia and his mother, Leoncia Machín, was a mulata (mixed black with white); he was one of sixteen children. Machín's early years were very difficult and he was forced to work at the age of eight to help pay some of his father's numerous debts. One day, he was in the street by his house singing quietly. A priest that walked by heard him and immediately encouraged him to sing at a party. He sang "Ave María" by
Schubert . From that day on Machin was determined to become a singer. Machín's ambition was to sing opera, but this was very difficult for a poor coloured Cuban at the beginning of the 20th century. Thus, he focused on singing popular music.At the age of twenty he had become the idol of the young women in his neighbourhood. Machín would sing them serenades under the moonlight. He worked as a mason, also travelling across Cuba as a singer. In 1926 he moved to Havana where he met a Spaniard who helped him get a contract to sing at a small cafe in Havana.
Living in Havana, Machín was exposed to many kinds of music. He joined several trios, quartets and sextets. One of the most important ones was
Trío Luna , which he formed together withEnrique Peláez andManuel Luna . In 1926 Machín formed a duo with the famous guitar player and singerMiguel Zaballa . They performed at various night clubs and on live radio shows. Their fame was such that in 1927Don Azpiazu , leader ofOrquesta Habana , added the duo to the performances held at the Casino Nacional de La Habana. At the age of 27 Machín became a vocalist at the Casino Nacional of Havana, the first singer of colour ever to do so. The Casino Nacional was the place where one could find upper class Cuban and American landowners, movie stars, millionaires and diplomats, who danced and sought romance.In 1930 he toured the
United States with the Casino Nacional orchestra, and that year, his song "El manisero" ("The Peanut Vendor", written byMoises Simons ) became the first Cuban song written by Cubans to become a hit in the U.S., presaging therumba explosion of the 1930s. Machín did not return to Cuba after this tour, settling inNew York .While in New York, Machín recorded approximately 200 songs, often with the backing ensemble of
claves ,tres ,guitar , andtrumpet . His guitarist and duetist on many of these recordings was Daniel Sánchez, andMario Bauza (who later played withMachito ) plays trumpet on some recordings. He performed with groups such asJosé Escarpenter y su Orquesta, Orquesta Antillana deRafael Hernández ,Julio Roque y su Orquesta, andArmando Valdespí y su Orquesta, in addition to performing under the names La Orquesta Machín and El Cuarteto Machín.In 1935 he moved to Europe, living in
London andParis before settling inMadrid in the late 1930s, where he would remain until his death. In Paris, he formed Antonio Machín y su Orquesta, with Simons on piano, and continued to record in the city (where Cuban music had been popular since the late twenties). After moving to Madrid he married María de los Ángeles Rodríguez in 1943. As the Cuarteto Machín, he made over 60 recordings in Spain, often recording the works of composersOswaldo Farrés andConsuelo Velázquez .He died in Madrid in 1977 and was interred in the San Fernando Cemetery in the city of Seville.
References
* [http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0zftxql5ld6e~T1 Antonio Machín] at Allmusic.com
* [http://music.aol.com/artist/antonio-machin/31057/biography AOL Music bio]
* [http://arch1.cubaencuentro.com/cultura/noticias/20040908/14a94175d05b69c1bd5a7d4d1049c681.html Cuba Encuentro article] es icon
* [http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=816 World Music Central article] es icon
* "Cuando salí de La Habana; 1898-1997: Cien años de múúsica cubana por el mundo" by Cristobal Diaz Ayala, (Fundación Musicalia. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1998). es icon
* "Música Cubana. Del Areyto a la Nueva Trova" by Cristobal Diaz Ayala,.( Editorial Cubanacán. Puerto Rico, 1981) es icon
* "Machin, Toda una vida" by Eduardo Jover. (La Esfera de los Libros. Madrid, 2002). es icon
* "Calle Antonio Machin. El Recuadro" by Antonio Burgos, (El Mundo de Andalucía. 2001). es icon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.