Compay Segundo

Born in 1907 in Siboney, near Santiago de Cuba, Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz adopted the name Compay Segundo in reference to his role as the second voice in traditional duos. Trained early on the tres, then the guitar and later the clarinet, he moved from local orchestras in Santiago to groups in Havana in the 1930s, aligning with the trovadores and the son oriental tradition. Compay Segundo became known in the 1940s with the duo Los Compadres, where his syncopated string playing and casually phrased singing helped spread son cubano and guajira across the country. After the duo split in the mid-1950s, he formed several ensembles, including Grupo Compay Segundo, focused on a repertoire blending son, bolero and rural songs, marked by everyday lyrics and a spare rhythmic setup. Long active mainly in Cuba, Compay Segundo gained an international audience late when he joined the 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club, to which he contributed the composition "Chan Chan", and subsequently toured and recorded until his death in 2003 in Havana.