Ruben Blades
Ruben Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna, known professionally as Rubén Blades, is a Panamanian singer, songwriter, actor, musician, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban, salsa, and Latin jazz genres. As a songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of Central American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova as well as experimental tempos and politically inspired Nuyorican salsa to his music, creating "thinking persons'dance music"...
NationalityPanamanian
ProfessionWorld Music Singer
Date of Birth16 July 1948
CityPanama City, Panama
CountryPanama
So that I saw music as a way of documenting realities from the urban cities of Latin America.
A lot of times you're just conditioned by what's around you.
I was the first person to come into New York with a Latin American point of view which was also very much influenced by political happenings in Latin America.
I think in New York we had respect and we would pretty much fill up the places where we went, but I never got the sense that we really were Number 1 here in New York among the Latin crowds.
Everyone comes back. It makes no difference how far we wander, we always have our country, our land, in our souls and our minds.
People are a lot smarter than anyone gives them credit for being.
I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance.
You know, it was uncomfortable doing the same thing. I don't like a rut.
So everything that ever happened, we knew about in Panama.
The first time I came to New York was 1969. I came because the university, the National University of Panama, had been closed by the military.
They had seen me performing in Panama, but in Panama I had to quit performing because teachers in the national university were against my performing.