Marcelino Guerra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcelino Guerra, also known as "Rapindey" (ca. 1914-1996) was a Cuban singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in the United States. His primary role was as a segunda voz, or harmony, singer.
Guerra was born in Cienfuegos to an impoverished family, and was orphaned at age five. He was raised by his grandmother, who gave him the nickname Rapindey. In 1931 he moved to Havana, where he sang in Ignacio Pineiro's Septeto Nacional and took guitar lessons from Rafael Rebuifero. He worked in various groups in Havana through the 1930s, joining Arsenio Rodriguez's orchestra in 1938 and performing frequently on national radio.
He took a trip to New York City to record in 1944, and decided not to return to Cuba. He joined Machito's orchestra soon after, and contributed several original compositions to the group in addition to singing harmony. He worked extensively on the New York Latin pop scene in the 1950s, including with his own orchestra, before temporarily leaving music in the 1960s to become a merchant marine. In the mid-1970s he was asked by producer René Lopez to return to music, and began recording with salsa musicians such as Ruben Blades and Eddie Palmieri. After this he retired again and moved to Alicante, Spain, where he married Julia Nuñez.
He was asked to come out of retirement once more in the 1990s by musicologist Tony Evora. He recorded in 1995 with a host of other Cuban musicians, including Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo, both of whom would later release under the Buena Vista Social Club umbrella. Guerra's last album, Rapindey, was released in 1996; he died later that year.
