Pio Leyva - Pio Leyva & Friends

Pío Leyva looms among the giants of Cuban music. Though one of the most successful soneros of the pre-revolution era, he only earned international renown in his twilight years thanks to the landmark album and documentary Buena Vista Social Club. Born Wilfredo Pascual in Morón, Cuba, on May 5, 1917, he won a local bongo-drumming contest at the age of six and at 15 was tapped to sing with Juanito Blez's band Conjunto Caribe. Upon relocating to Havana, Leyva lent his appealingly gravelly vocals to a series of acts including Orquesta de Jesús Montago, Orquesta Raqueteros del Swing, Orquesta del Paseiro, and Sexteto Colón; he also formed a trio sponsored by a local brand of coffee, Café el Angel, and was a fixture of Cuban radio. Leyva signed to RCA Victor in 1950 and in the years to follow cut more than two dozen LPs for the label, scoring a succession of smash hits including "Un Jardinero de Amor" and "Chapaleando." Nicknamed "El Montunero de Cuba" for his matchless improvisational acumen, Leyva recorded with the likes of Mariano Mercerón, Orquesta Cosmópolita, and Niño Rivera and also sang backup for Beny Moré, who popularized his best-known composition, "Francisco Guayabal." In March 1957, Leyva was in the studio collaborating with singer/guitarist Compay Segundo when rebel forces launched their assault on Cuban president Fulgencio Batista's Havana palace. According to legend, the session was later issued commercially complete with the sound of gunfire in the background.


Tracklist

01. Pio Leiva - Los Ecos de Mi Cuba
02. Pio Leiva - Con Carlota
03. Pio Leiva - Oye como Suena
04. Pio Leiva - Pobre Nicola
05. Pio Leiva - Yo no soy Mentirosa
06. Pio Leiva - Carinoso si, mentiroso No
07. Pio Leiva - Dulce Cubanita
08. Pio Leiva - Descarga en Conjunto
09. Pio Leiva - Este Guaguanco Dice
10. Pio Leiva - Si Apretando
11. Pio Leiva - Guaguanco del Bolero
12. Pio Leiva - Guaguanco a Guanabacoa
13. Pio Leiva - Gocen bien el Chiquicha
14. Pio Leiva - Para ti cositas sueltas
15. Pio Leiva - Cosas del Compay Anton
16. Pio Leiva - A La Orilla del Cauto
17. Pio Leiva - Mi Guaguanco si da la Hora
18. Pio Leiva - No Hay dos como mi Son
19. Pio Leiva - En la Inmensa Soledad

Download Link
Part I

Part II