Silvio Rodríguez

Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born November 29, 1946 in San Antonio de los Baños) is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement. He is known for his highly eloquent and symbol

Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born November 29, 1946 in San Antonio de los Baños) is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement. He is known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio azul and La maza. Rodríguez is well known for socially critical yet ambiguous lyrics, which have raised the suspicions of both the Cuban government and Cuban-American groups on various occasions.

Rodríguez was born on November 29, 1946 in San Antonio de los Baños, a fertile valley in Havana Province known for its tobacco crop. He was raised in a family of poor farmers. His grandfather, a tobacco farmer, knew José Martí. His father, Víctor Dagoberto Rodríguez Ortega, was a farmer who supported socialist causes. His mother, Argelia Domínguez León, was a hairdresser. On many occasions Rodríguez has spoken how his love of music was developed by his mother, who would pass time singing boleros and songs from Santiago. Although Rodríguez had an uncle who played the bass, his mother had a far greater influence. Later, she also collaborated with him on a few musical works.