Paulito FG: The Melodist of Timba

Among the architects of timba, Paulito FG stood out for one thing above all: his voice and the way he bent a melody.^[1]

From Buena Vista to the bandstand

Paulo Alfonso Fernández Gallo was born on 11 January 1962 in Buena Vista, one of Havana's most popular neighborhoods, and learned music from his mother, a pianist and poet.^[1] His break came when the legendary Adalberto Álvarez recruited him; in 1990 he joined the group Opus 13, and in 1991 he took it over and renamed it Paulito FG y su Élite.^[1]

A romantic innovator

Paulito FG became one of the most innovative voices of timba, playing with melody and phrasing far more than most singers and improvising guías spontaneously in the heat of a performance.^[2] His 1996 album El bueno soy yo won EGREM awards, and his 1997 masterpiece "Con la Conciencia Tranquila" is counted among timba's crown jewels.^[2]

Why it matters

Alongside bands like NG La Banda and La Charanga Habanera, Paulito FG helped carry Cuban dance music through the hard years of the 1990s and out to the world.^[1] When he died in 2025, Cuban musicians mourned a true timbero — one of the genre's defining and most musical voices.^[2]