Joaquín Codina

Singer and Guitarist

Codina, together with other troubadours, made known songs from the traditional songbook but moving away from the traditional form of bolero interpretation, imposing the style of self-accompanied soloist in opposition to the interpretive trend of duos, which had been dominant up to that moment in Cuban popular music. As a guitarist, he possessed a very particular style characterized by creating harmony with the higher-pitched strings while executing the melody with the bass strings.

Holder of the profession of bookkeeper, starting in 1932, he settled in the city of Havana, where he gained popularity through his radio presentations, becoming known under the name of troubadour Codina.

In addition to the radio, where he sometimes performed more than once on the same day, he made multiple presentations in nightclubs in the city, spreading the Cuban traditional songbook with his particular style.

Codina died in Havana on May 4, 1975