New album 'Guajiro' out now: worldcircuit.lnk.to/Guajiro
Eliades Ochoa, born in 1946 is considered one of the most important Cuban soneros of all times, a remarkable defender of the Cuban traditional music and the finest guitarist of his generation. His trademark cowboy hat and penchant for wearing black have led some to dub him "Cuba's Johnny Cash." Eliades began playing the guitar when he was six, making a living playing in the cafes and brothels around Santiago de Cuba. In 1982 became the leader of the legendary Cuarteto Patria, keeping the tradition of Cuban folk music alive since 1940. Also in the '80s, worked with Compay Segundo recording the first version of "Chan Chan." In 1998 Eliades collaborated with Manu Dibango in the album CubAfrica. In 1999 and 2000 was nominated to the Grammys under the category of Best Tropical Latin.