Fernando Borrego Linares

The History of Polo Montañez, the Natural Guajiro
Of peasant and humble origin, with self-taught musical training, he became one of Cuba's musical symbols in just 2 years. He died at the height of his career and transcended with his wonderful musical work.

Fernando Borrego Linares (Polo Montañez) was born in the Sierra del Rosario, in Pinar del Río, Cuba. Son of a charcoal maker father, of very humble origin although of great spiritual wealth and an innate talent for capturing the characteristic sounds of Cuban son, even without any musical training whatsoever. He was a very popular singer with a legendary story and a short, intense professional career. He was a charcoal maker, a cattle milker, a tractor operator, and a sugarcane cutter.

'Polo composes while he walks or rides a tractor, while he swims, in the rain, the sun or the moon, when he plants the earth... and even while sleeping'

He began at age 7 'hitting the skins of a tumbadora' at family parties, as he used to say.

His father played the accordion and his mother danced. He grew up in a very musical environment, despite his family's economic hardships. During the nights they listened to the radio, the only entertainment possible at that time, where young Fernando would memorize with great ease the romantic songs of Spanish and Italian singer-songwriters (José José, Nicola di Bari, José Feliciano, among others) of the so-called 'pop wave' of that era.

Later he became interested in strings, playing the guitar with notable talent and an impeccable musical ear. - 'Now I realize that between the strings and percussion was the path to Cuban music, the one that would later trace my way as a life objective'. He later became part of a family sextet made up of his father, his siblings and other family members and friends. In the 90s he began his professional career as a vocalist and tres player.

At age 44 he had more than 70 original songs, written in a self-taught manner, since he had no professional training or musical knowledge other than what he learned from listening to the sounds of the countryside. His band simply followed the tone of his voice with the instruments and with impeccable mastery, beautiful harmonies were generated with poetic images of surprising lyricism.

His popularity began with the international market release of his first album 'Guajiro Natural', recorded by the LUSAFRICA record label, which a year later sponsored his second CD titled 'Guitarra Mía'.

In less than a year —the second half of 2001— he began to lead the hit lists on the country's radios with the song 'Un montón de estrellas'. With this and other songs from his first album, Guajiro natural, he conquered the Colombian audience and made his way in other countries of Latin America and Western Europe. After his death, a third album was released as a tribute to his memory. He became the third Cuban awarded with a Platinum Record with his first CD "Guajiro Natural".

His prolific work as a composer exceeds one hundred songs, most of them unreleased, spanning various musical genres.

Polo Montañez passed into immortality as a result of a traffic accident on November 26, 2002. An aura of mysticism surrounded him after his death, since it is maintained that he himself prophesied his meteoric career and his death, and it is unexplained how a peasant who was practically illiterate could conceive melodies so contemporary, living in such remote places within the countryside, away from 'the madding crowd'.

Polo Montañez is recognized nationally and internationally as one of Cuba's most popular singer-songwriters, considered an unprecedented legend by prestigious music personalities in the world, such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Willie Colon among others.

Critics recognize his merit in universalizing the most authentic rhythms of Cuba's countryside. His style and rapid insertion into the Cuban musical world stemmed from the way he imposed himself on popular taste.