Francisco Manuel Domínguez Padrón

Frank Domínguez Padrón Composer and pianist. Interpreter of Filin in Cuba. Author of the well-known song "Tú me acostumbraste".

He was born on Calle Clemente Fernández No. 104 (today 94 No. 9306-08, between Concha and Martí, Güines, province of La Habana.

Son of Nicolás Domínguez Isla, native of Matanzas (Pharmacy Technician) and Francisca Padrón Sanz (High Fashion Teacher), native of Güines. He was the oldest of three siblings: Freddy and Judith. His childhood was pleasant and happy; he completed his primary education at the school attached to the Normal school, Rogelio López Centellas. It was during this time that his passion for music emerged, especially for the piano.

While visiting his parents at a friend's house, the boy was surprised to see a piano and during a lull in the conversation sat on the bench and began to play, striking the keys enthusiastically, making that afternoon unforgettable for him. Upon returning home he expressed his desire to study piano, receiving a firm "no!" from his family.

He persisted and convinced his parents, saying he would not study anything other than piano. At age 11 he began his music studies using the "Orbón" method with teachers Ida Nery Ortega and Graciela Santiago. After completing his primary studies he continued his music studies and enrolled in Primary Superior School No. 1.

In September 1942 he began his studies at the Institute of Secondary Education in Matanzas, with file number 665. Among his teachers were Inés and Edith Guiteras and Jorge Casals, graduating at age 19 with a degree in Sciences in 1947.

In 1945 he began his career as a composer, studying piano up to the fifth year. He did not want to pursue higher studies as he was not interested in becoming a concert pianist; he only wanted to know the secrets of the instrument.

Still very young he began accompanying the singer Gilberto Aldanás on piano at various events and did a program on CMGW Radio (now Radio 26), with our poet Carilda Oliver Labra, titled: "Junto a tu corazón y mi alma".

In 1947 he moved to La Habana, where he performed on the program Buscando Estrellas which aired on CMQ, where he won first prize. He also performed at the bar of the Hotel Óceano. In 1951 he made his first television program: Sábado Musical, in which he performed his own songs and those of other composers; he performed at the bar-restaurant Monseñor.

From 1948 to 1951 he frequented various radio stations, increasing his relationships with personalities in art and culture. He met Rolito Rodríguez, who asked him for a song: Refúgiate en mí, which became his first recorded song on a record, those Panart 45 R.P.M. discs, with the Casino Ensemble.

The year 1951 was fundamental for Frank. He decided to devote himself entirely to artistic life, as during that period they were seeking figures for television. He performed on the television program Estrellas para la TV, winning the double prize that was awarded to participants at that time: First Prize for audience applause and Second Prize for being the most television-friendly. All of this happened on February 26, 1951.

Producer Clara Ronay offered him her program Sábado Musical and he continued making television with Gaspar Fumarejo.

In 1952 he began working as an author and interpreter at the bar of the Hotel Océano, meeting René Cabell, The Tenor of the Antilles, and it was then when he composed Tú me acostumbraste, which was first recorded with the Casino de la Playa orchestra. This song became a huge success, quickly becoming a national hit. It was then that Olga Guillot brought him to Mexico and Lucho Gatica popularized it with the quartet Los Cuatro Soles.

Over time, Tú me acostumbraste, Frank Domínguez's song, has traveled around the world the most times, performed by artists such as Los Tres Ases, Chavela Vargas, Pedro Vargas, Caetano Veloso, Domenico Modugno, Tom Jones, Mina, Gal Costa, María Bethania, Lola Flores, Luis Miguel, Sara Montiel and the Gipsy Kings, among others.

In 1953 he began a radio program in Matanzas called Dos voces y un piano, with poet Griseida Vidal. He also conducted activities at the lyceum in that city, with poet Carilda Oliver Labra, National Poetry Prize winner from the Ministry of Education.

In 1954 a Mexican company contracted him to perform at the Club Los Nápoles, where he met Tulio Demicheli, an Italian producer who was looking for a catchy jazz melody for the film Un extraño en la escalera, which he would film with Silvia Pinal and Arturo de Córdova.

It was then that he composed El hombre que me gusta a mí and it was promoted through Columbia Pictures.

In November 1955 the exotic singer from Puerto Rico, Lucy Fabery, arrived in La Habana, with whom Frank worked for a few weeks at the Bambú Club. Lucy recorded his song Refúgiate en mí with the electronic group of Julio Gutiérrez and when she went to Mexico she was chosen to be the vocalist for the theme of the aforementioned film.

That year Fernando Fernández arrived in La Habana and met with the maestro to record several songs that he took to Mexico.

By 1956 the popularity of his songs had reached such magnitude that he decided to sign a contract with PEER. Along with Ernesto Roca he continued working at the famous 1950s venue Sans Souci, providing music for his productions under the artistic direction of Alberto Alonso and the musical direction of Rafael Ortega. That year he received a trophy for the success of his songs in musical productions.

At the Nevada Cocktail Lounge club he formed his first group-combo. On guitar was César Portillo de la Luz and Dandy Crawford performed the melodies in English and Portuguese.

In 1958 Maestro Frank Domínguez was awarded Composer of the Year. In May of that year he signed with the Gema company to record the album Frank Domínguez canta sus canciones, sharing honors with musicians of the caliber of Guillermo Barreto (drums), Papito Hernández (bass) and Rafael Somavilla (vibraphone), among others.

In September he embarked on a tour throughout the island, from Varadero to Ciego de Ávila, with René Cabell.

And in October he began working as a duo with Elena Burke, which lasted four years, performing at emblematic venues of that boiling and beautiful Havana, such as Club 21, Hotel St. John, theaters and recitals. Together they recorded the L.P. A solas con Elena Burke, on the Cubartimpex label, on which he premiered his song La dulce razón.

From May to July 1959 they performed at the newly opened Bar La Gruta, alternating with Esther Montalván.

On July 3, 1959, the first production of the Revolution premiered, called Consumiendo productos cubanos, which became a huge hit on the dance floor for a year and a half, with all the music and lyrics of the songs by Maestro Frank Domínguez.

This was the first production that featured music by a Cuban author, with Rosita Fornés, Roberto and Mitsouko, Armando Bianchi, Kari Russi, Los Bucaneros and Los Tres Pimpollos performing in it, among others.

That same year the revue Noches de Ali Bar premiered, with René Cabell, Frank Domínguez and Fernando Álvarez. It was then that Fernando premiered his songs Me recordarás, Si tú quisieras and Página en Blanco.

In 1960 Frank Domínguez was chosen by Humberto Bravo, a famous television personality, to inaugurate Channel 13 in Lima-Perú, where he performed for two months. During that period one of his most popular songs, Imágenes, was recognized, and he himself was recognized as The Most Outstanding Author by Cinema Magazine, receiving two diplomas from the hands of Rita Montaner.

Upon returning to Cuba, on May 26, 1960, he began working again with Elena Burke at the Club Scherezade. In September the production Como le gusta a Usted by Joaquín Riviera premiered. He also was part of the group of artists who inaugurated the club El Gato Tuerto.

Musically, in 1961 Frank Domínguez and Elena Burke parted ways. He began working at El Rincón Bohemio, where he was awarded a medal of honor for his compositions and interpretations. This was a very welcoming place, owned by Bertha Camejo, something like a café cantante. At whatever time the artist arrived, he was invited to sing, to play the piano, to recite his verses, to discuss his future projects; photos were taken for an album and they stamped their signatures on the wall, with the date of their first visit to this pleasant bar. It was located in the Focsa Building, one of the most emblematic of those times.

In 1962 Frank met Martha Justiniano; he liked her voice, and she accepted his proposal to work together at La Gruta and the Hotel Capri, as well as to tour the interior of Cuba and participate in radio and television programs. They recorded the L.P. Martha y Frank.

During the following years Frank traveled throughout the island offering his songs in concerts and festivals of Feeling in Cuban Casas de la Trova. Many singers formed duos with the maestro, whom he in turn supported in their promotion and, modestly, in their artistic endeavors.

In 1965 the production El Fantasma lo invita premiered at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which delighted audiences for 2 years. On November 28 of that same year Frank obtained the second prize at the Song Festival in Varadero, and composed Gira Gira and Solo pedirás Cha, Cha, Chá.

In 1968 a national evaluation of Cuban artists was conducted, with the maestro receiving the special A-1 rating.

Taking as reference one of Frank Domínguez's emblematic compositions, the Club Imágenes was inaugurated in November 1979 in the city of La Habana.

All the years that followed were of constant work for Maestro Domínguez, with participation in festivals, artistic tours, playing and delighting lovers of his boleros and feeling in nightclubs, restaurants and hotels.

In 1989 he participated in the Bolero Festival in Mexico City, visiting Oaxaca and Acapulco and also participating in a program with Verónica Castro.

In 1993 he traveled to Mérida, Yucatán, with his wife Josefina, to visit his children Glennys and Frank and his grandchildren, Jennifer, Glennicita and Jorge Carlos, who had been living there for some years. He fell in love with the beauty and tranquility of that city, and until today, a naturalized Mexican citizen, he lives happily in the Yucatecan capital in the company of his loved ones.

In November 2011, Maestro Frank Domínguez was honored by the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico with the Recognition Trayectoria 50 y más…

Works
How do you dare
When the years pass
The man that I like
Images
The sweet reason
Moon over Matanzas
You will remember me
My heart and I
Don't ask for impossibilities
Little piece of heaven
Because you got me used to it
What do you think of my love?
Take refuge in me
If you only would
And… what do you say

Distinctions
Distinction for National Culture
Medal 25th Anniversary of the EGREM
Medal 70th Anniversary of the Museum of Fine Arts
Trophy CMQ

Bibliography
Luis Antonio Bigott. Historia del bolero cubano (1883-1950). Caracas. Ediciones Los Heraldos Negros, 1993.
José Loyola Fernández. En ritmo de bolero. La Habana. Ediciones Unión, 1997.
Mayra A. Martínez. Cubanos en la música. La Habana. Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1993.
Frank Padrón Nodarse. "Tú me acostumbraste, una canción-leyenda". Revista Revolución y Cultura (La Habana) (1-2): 51; enero-abril de 1994.
Jaime Rico Salazar. Cien años de boleros. Bogotá, Centro de Estudios Musicales, 2da. Ed.. revisada y corregida, 1988.

His melodic ability is matched by his faculties as a harmonist, in addition to possessing qualities as a pianist and interpreter. About his way of composing he expresses:
"I believe in inspiration. I don't have a test tube to put a treble clef in today and another three by four tomorrow, to shake it afterwards. Sometimes I wake up at dawn (…). On the portable piano I compose at those hours with the volume low. I need the piano to feel good when composing. Generally, the idea of the lyrics comes first, while the music emerges. Sometimes the song doesn't come out complete and it haunts me day after day (…). A year passes and I don't do anything new. I have to feel inspired (…). I think the lyrics are essential. I read my texts, stripped of any embellishment, as if they were a poem. And I try not to write just to write, avoiding those endings that seem pasted on, abrupt. What I have said must have a connection, a progression, and not showy blows. I love metaphor very much, but a song cannot be made up of pasted phrases. To test them, I sing them: if they move me (…), I share them."

A pianist with a personal style and great communicative power, his musical universe goes beyond filin, to be related to the song and Latin American piano of María Grever, Mario Ruíz Armengoll, Vicente Garrido, Adolfo Guzmán, René Touzet and Ignacio Villa (Bola de Nieve).

He died in Mexico suddenly at the age of 87.