Rubén Blades is a Panamanian salsa and jazz musician. Blades grew up with music. His father played the bongos and his mother was a pianist, singer, and radio actress. He started collaborating with salsa musician Willie Colón in 1976. Much of his work addresses social and political issues. His hits include "Pedro Navaja" and "Patria," which Panamanians consider their second national anthem. Profile
Grammy-award winning musician, singer, and songwriter. Born in Panama City, Panama, on July 18, 1948. Blades grew up with music. His father played the bongos and his mother was a pianist, singer, and radio actress. It was with his brother Luis that he made first public performance as a singer in 1963. Blades traveled to New York to record his first album, De Panama a Nueva York: Pete Rodriguez Presenta a Ruben Blades. Released in 1970, it wasn't a commercial success, and he returned to finish his law degree at University of Panama. He worked as a lawyer, but never let go of his musical aspirations.
Blades' musical career got a boost after he began singing with Ray Baretto's salsa band in the early 1970s. He started collaborating with salsa musician Willie Colón in 1976. The two created several successful albums, including Siembra (1978), which is considered one of the most popular salsa albums ever. Blades made numerous solo recordings, such as Buscando América (1984), Nothing But the Truth (1988), and Mundo (2002). Much of his work addresses social and political issues.
Blades won his first Grammy Award in 1986 for Escenas in the best tropical Latin performance category. This recording featured a duet with Linda Ronstadt. Blades has won five Grammys during his long career. His most recent win was in 2004 for Across 110th Street for the best salsa/merengue album.
In addition to his successful career in music, Ruben has appeared in numerous films, including Crossover Dreams (1985), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). In the 1990s, Blades took a more active role in the politics of his homeland and ran for president of Panama in 1994. He became the minister of tourism in 2004.
