Abelardo Barroso was one of the great voices of Cuban music from the 1930s to the 1950s. Born in Havana on September 21, 1905, Abelardo Barroso Dargeles emerged in 1925 as the lead singer of the Sexteto Habanero and became the embodiment of the Cuban son. He went on to perform with a number of different groups, touring the United States and Spain in the early 1930s. Abelardo Barroso frequented several big bands (known as charanga in Cuba) and, in the 1940s, was the main attraction at the Sans-Souci cabaret in Havana. In the early 1950s, Abelardo Barroso embarked on a second career with Rolando Valdés' Orquesta Sensación. It was with this group that he recorded his greatest hits "En Guantanamo" and "Arrancame la Vida", while continuing to perform regularly in the United States. Abelardo Barroso ended his career in 1969, surrendering his soul to God on September 27, 1972. The compilation Cha Cha Cha released in 2014 features his best recordings.
