Antonio Cabán Vale [note 1] a.k.a. "El Topo" (born November 22, 1942), is a guitarist, singer and composer of Puerto Rican folklore themes. He is one of the founders of the "new song" movement (Spanish: nueva canción) of the early 1970s.[1] His danza Verde Luz (Green Light) became a popular symbol of national dignity and has been interpreted by many renowned international singers.[2]
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Cabán Vale was born and raised in the town of Moca, which is located in the western part of Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. After he graduated from high school, he moved to San Juan and in 1961, enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico. During his student years at the university, he became known as "El Topo" and he wrote poems which were published in the university's publication "Guajana". In 1966, Cabán Vale earned his Bachelor's Degree in Arts and Social Sciences.[3]
For two years Cabán Vale earned a living as a public school teacher. In the 1970s, he began to add music to his poems and later founded a band which he named "Taone". He was the lead singer of the band through which he performed his compositions. His compositions contained simple verses and created a new style of popular folklore music which became popular in Puerto Rico. His musical style includes the use of those musical instruments which are typically Puerto Rican such as the "Cuatro" (a Puerto Rican guitar) and the "Guiro". Some of his compositions were popularized in many different versions.[3]
One of Cabán Vale's most popular compositions was of the danza genre, titled Verde Luz (Green Light).[3] Verde Luz has been interpreted by the late Argentine singer Ginamaría Hidalgo, and Puerto Rican singers Chucho Avellanet, Roy Brown, Lucecita Benítez, Tony Croatto, Lou Briel, Nano Cabrera, Carmen Nydia Velázquez, José Feliciano, Silverio Pérez, and Dagmar.[2]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
| You may listen to Luciano Quiñones piano interpretation "Verde Luz" here | |
| and as interpreted by José Feliciano here | |
Among the songs which Cabán recorded are the following:
Cabán Vale has published two books with his poems; the first is entitled Un Lugar Fuera de Tiempo (A Place from Another Time) and is based on his experiences as a young man in his hometown Moca and the second Penultima Salida (The Exit Before the Last), deals with his personal quest in search for the "truth".[3]
In 2001, the 6th International Book Fair celebrated at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan was dedicated to Antonio "El Topo" Cabán Vale.[2]