Nelson Pinedo: El Almirante del Ritmo

Of all the singers who passed through Cuba's most famous orchestra, only one was Colombian — and he insisted on bringing his country's songs along with him. Nelson Pinedo, "El Almirante del Ritmo" (the Admiral of Rhythm), made history as the lone Colombian voice of La Sonora Matancera.^[1]

From Barranquilla to Havana

Born Napoleón Nelson Pinedo Fedullo in the humble Rebolo neighborhood of Barranquilla in 1928, he worked a string of ordinary jobs — office clerk, radio operator — before turning to music, singing with several Colombian orchestras in the late 1940s and early 1950s.^[1] On 9 October 1953 he made his debut with La Sonora Matancera, the Cuban group that also launched Celia Cruz and a parade of Caribbean stars.^[1]

Hits and a homeland's music

Pinedo's warm, swinging delivery quickly made him a favorite; his recording of "Me voy pa' La Habana" entered Latin American musical history, and in 1954 he was honored in Havana as best foreign artist.^[1] Notably, he made it a condition of joining the Matancera that he be allowed to record works by Colombian composers such as José Benito Barros and Rafael Escalona — using the world's most famous Cuban band to carry guaracha and Colombian rhythms abroad.^[1][2]

Why it matters

Nelson Pinedo broke a barrier as the first and only Colombian in La Sonora Matancera, and in doing so became one of the first Colombian artists to project his country's music onto the international stage.^[1] A beloved interpreter of the guaracha and bolero, he remained a cherished figure of Caribbean music until his death in Venezuela in 2016.^[2]