[ad_1]
Sometimes one may wonder what would have happened if Ruben Blades had been President of Panama. Would it have been good? Hated Was it better that he didn’t?
“I think it would have been good for the country,” said Blades in a video call interview on Thursday just hours before the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas. It was a big night for Blades, who were named Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and for “SALSWING!” They won album of the year. and best salsa album for “SALSA PLUS!”, both with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta.
“People say that power corrupts. I do not think so. I believe that power is unmasked, ”he added. “They won’t buy you if you don’t sell yourself. … Public service is worth more to me than a Grammy or all the Grammys I’ve earned or whatever they give me. There is nothing like serving your country and your people, period. “
Since he unsuccessfully ran for president in 1994, he has remained loyal to music and acting. (His fans are still eager to see more of him than Daniel Salazar on Fear The Walking Dead.) And he served as Minister of Tourism in the public sector from 2004 to 2009, without the corruption or nepotism scandals Latin American politicians who exist there are often tormented. In fact, as seen in the 2018 documentary Ruben Blades is Not My Name, he can still walk the streets of Panama and be greeted by people.
After being fascinated by the music of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers in the movie “Rock Rock Rock!” When he was around 10 years old, Blades got into music through a back door in the 70s but never left.
Although “contrary to what people say who don’t know what they’re talking about, I didn’t leave Panama to become a musician, but because I didn’t want to be a lawyer in a dictatorship,” said Blades, his parents, about a problem with military leader Manuel Noriega left the country before him. “When I arrived in Florida to be with my family, there was a lot of hardship and I couldn’t help them because my Florida law school wasn’t working. So I called FANIA, the biggest salsa record company. “
FANIA’s Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz recorded Blades’ “Guaguancó Triste” in 1971 in the hope that they would find him a job as a songwriter or musician. The only free space they had was in the label’s mailroom.
“I started at the FANIA post office and Ray Barretto found me there … Someone said to him, ‘The guy who stamps correspondence in FANIA, sings and writes songs,” recalled Blades. “Barreto visited me and I auditioned and he put me in the orchestra with Tito Gómez, may he rest in peace, and that’s how I started in New York in 1974.”
“Buscando Guayaba”, “Pedro Navaja”, “Plástico”, “Prohibido Olvidar”, “Buscando América” and “Desapariciones” are some of the songs by FANIA’s former postal worker, who won 10 Latin Grammys and nine Grammys with the two trophies from Thursday Awards.
“As long as I can sing and offer the audience the quality that I ask of myself and that I am used to, I will continue to work. But the moment I feel that the voice or the mood, the enthusiasm is not there, I will stop immediately, just like I stopped smoking, ”he said. “Music will never leave me, because music helps you spiritually, it even helps you therapeutically and keeps you connected with the best in the universe.”
On Wednesday, Blades was celebrated by dozens of artists at the traditional Person of the Year benefit concert, including Andrés Calamaro, Vicentico, Flor de Toloache, Diego Torres, Farruko and Joaquín Sabina, who performed covers of his songs.
“The fact that he (Sabina) came from Spain to share this moment with me seems very special to me,” he said. “I told him, ‘You could have done it through Zoom.’ It surprised me and I really appreciate it, I admire it very much.
“I was also surprised by Christina Aguilera. I didn’t even know that she knew me, ”he said of the American singer who performed“ Camaleón ”with an arrangement similar to the Ecuadorian pasillo.
The 73-year-old star emphasizes that music and acting always require teamwork. Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Danny Glover and Robert De Niro are among his on-screen companions through his 50+ film and television films.
“I learn a lot from my colleagues,” said Blades. “I really enjoy working and learning from other people.”
However, he complained that there weren’t many Latino characters in film and television in the United States.
“Despite the fact that we are the most populous minority and despite our contributions to the gross domestic product and culture of the United States,” he said. “So the presence of a Latino seems to me to be necessary to represent all the contributions we make.”
The third constant in Blades’ life was his quest for social justice, advocating issues ranging from fighting hunger and poverty to helping migrants and HIV patients.
“Fame provides a stage and an opportunity to express opinions that should have an impact and have a positive impact on our society,” said Blades. “It is positive that an artist speaks responsibly and in an informed manner about topics that might otherwise not be noticed.”
[ad_2]
Source link
