Trío Matamoros

Founded by Miguel Matamoros in Santiago de Cuba in 1925, Trio Matamoros helped revolutionize the Cuban Son by composing numerous classics and becoming internationally recognized performers. They specialized in a romantic style called bolero-son, which added a heightened rhythmic presence to the style's fundamental elements of guitar, voice and percussion. Matamoros' smooth, nasal-toned voice was cloaked in exquisite harmony vocals: combined with their songs' appealing lyrical content, it made them Cuba's most popular group well into the 1930s. As Cuban music changed, so did they, incorporating new rhythms and expanding the group to include a larger rhythm section and horns. When Matamoros' voice lost its magic in the '40s, they brought onboard new singers (such as the legendary Beny More) and continued performing until 1969. Their enduring contributions to the world of Spanish song -- and Cuban identity -- include such standards as "Son de La Loma," "Lagrimas Negras," "La Mujer de Antonio" and "El Que Siembra Su Maiz."