| Hernán Gamboa | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | El Cuatro de Venezuela |
| Born | June 18, 1946 San Tomé, Anzoátegui, Venezuela |
| Genres | Venezuelan folk music |
| Occupations | musician, singer, cuatro executant, composer |
| Instruments | cuatro |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Associated acts | Serenata Guayanesa (1971–1984) |
Hernan Gamboa was born in San Tomé, in the State of Anzoátegui, located in the eastern part of Venezuela, June 18, 1946. He is the son of Carmito Gamboa Almeida and Carmen Alexis Gamboa.
From a very early age, he was exposed to music through his father, who was an extraordinary musician and singer. His father taught him to play the cuatro, guitar, mandolin, as well as de the percussion instruments native to Venezuela. Hernán also learned the concepts and techniques of his country's popular songs.
In this way Hernan Gamboa began absorbing his country's history, literature, culture, poetry, music and folklore. He has been influenced by great Venezuelan poets, such as Aquiles Nazoa, Luis Beltran Prieto Figueroa, Efrain Subero, Alberto Arvelo Torrealba, Luis Pastrori, Maria Inmaculada Barrios, Raúl Umanés, Ernesto Luis Rodriguez, Manuel Graterol and was significantly impressed by an introduction, at age nine, to the Nobel Prize Winner Pablo Neruda in the City of Barinas where the poet sowed him admiration.
At fifteen Hernán had created a technique of playing the Cuatro called "Rasgapunteo". This technique consists of a particular way to play the instrument through the melody, the harmony and the rhythm at the moment of performing a composition. This technique actually has numerous followers in Venezuela as well as other parts of the world. The most notable being is his brother Noel Gamboa and his godson, Cheo Hurtado, Hernan's son, Hernán José and Rodrigo are also following the family tradition in music, playing several instruments each.
Hernán grew up in many parts of Venezuela due to his father's work in the nation's oil companies. From an early age alongside his father, he shared his music with many known musicians such as Cosme Villarroel who played Cuatro, the violinists José Planchart, Manuel Siverio and Pepe Flores, the guitarist Alirio Diaz and Antonio Lauro, José Enrique Sarabia, the harpists Ignacio Figueredo and Juan Vicente Torrealba, with the brothers Real and Beto Valderrama from Isla Margarita, with Anselmo López and Juan Esteban García. He also sang, played and performed with popular singers of the countries such as Francisco Mata, Perucho Aguirre, El Carrao de Palmarito, Ángel Custodio Loyola, Benito Quirós, Luis Mariano Rivera, Rafael Montaño, Chelias Villarroel, María Rodríguez, Mario Suárez, Enrique Ribas to name some.
In 1970 Hernán with Ivan and Cesar Perez Rossi and Mauricio Castro founded the Vocal Group Guayanesa Serenade (Serenata Guayanesa) Hernán did the arrangements as well as playing first Cuatro and singing baritone. He remained with this very popular group for 15 years. During this time the group played all across Venezuela and other countries. He also shared the stage with Venezuelan artists such as: Gualberto Ibarreto, Reynaldo Armas, Gustavo Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Salazar, Jesús Rafael Soto, Cecilia Todd, Lilia Vera, Morella Muñoz, Alí Primera, Soledad Bravo, the sisters Chacin, Cristobal Jiménez, Luis Mariano Rivera, Rodrigo Riera, Cristobal Soto, Miguel Delgado Estévez, Anselmo López, Juan Vicente Torrealba, Pedro Naranjo, Eudes Alvarez, Juan Esteban García, Antonio Naranjo, Frank Dipolo, Benjamín Brea.
Hernán Gamboa is the person who has introduced the Cuatro to the world, playing in more than 60 countries of America, Europe and Asia. He has given concerts in all of those countries, and appeared in numerous and important festivals, theaters and Universities. Through these he shares the stage with well-known artists such as: Joan Manuel Serrat, Mercedes Sosa, Facundo Cabral, Chick Corea, Susana Rinaldi, León Gieco, Ramón Navarro, George Benson, Gerardo Núñez, Sebastian Tapajos, Jaime Torres, Mario Cases, Eduardo Falú, Atahualpa Yupanki, Nana Muscouri, Libertad Lamarque, to mention some of them.
Hernán has composed and arranged more than 200 works of music and has recorded more than forty CD's, both as soloist and accompanied.
In February, 2011, his oldest son, Rodrigo Gamboa, died of a sickness that he fought his whole life.
Hernán, his wife Maria and his son, Martin Gamboa currently reside in Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina