José Antonio Tenreiro Gómez

Known worldwide as Tito Gómez, he was a popular singer, considered one of the greatest improvisers in Cuba. He was part of orchestras of recognized prestige such as Jorrín and Riverside. With the latter, he achieved his great success by performing Vereda Tropical, a song that earned him international fame.

Pepe, as he was known within his family, was born in La Habana, Cuba. His father was a Spanish merchant.

At just twelve years old, José Antonio was already singing in family gatherings and circles of friends melodies from the lyrical repertoire, including works by the masters Ernesto Lecuona and Rodrigo Prats.

In 1937, at just seventeen years old, he performed Julio Brito's song, Cuando te acuerdes de mí and won at La Corte Suprema del Arte, a popular program on CMQ Radio that discovered and promoted so many talents in that era.

At nineteen years old and having completed his first year of medical school, he was offered to sing professionally with the Sevilla Biltmore orchestra. His family opposed this project, but his brother made them understand that he should try it, and so his father, despite his reservations, agreed, later becoming his most faithful fan.

In 1939, he began singing professionally with the Sevilla Biltmore orchestra at the Casino Deportivo, but at the request of the management of the Hotel Nacional, who appreciated his performance, they moved to work there, where he sang full boleros, contagious guarachas and congas. With this orchestra, he entered a studio for the first time to record a record where he would be identified with the artistic name of Tito Gómez.

Tito Gómez sang for several years with the Riverside orchestra.
In 1942, he joined the Riverside Orchestra. He worked two jobs, with the Riverside at the Montmatre cabaret and at the same time remained at the Hotel Nacional. Almost immediately came the international experience. With permission from the Hotel Nacional and through the hotel's own agency, he went to work at one of the same chain in Peru for six months, obtaining considerable results, both from an artistic and economic point of view.

In the forties and with the Riverside Orchestra, he toured Puerto Rico, Curaçao, New York, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Peru and won over audiences in his performances. Although he was already known in other countries, his popularity in Cuba began through broadcasts on RHC Cadena Azul by Amado Trinidad, who fell in love with the way Tito sang and created an orchestra to accompany him.

It was a midday program, exactly at 12:00. It was called El Show de la Radio Cadena Azul. By the fifties, his triumphs followed one after another and his performances at dances, cabarets, radio, and television became immediate successes in the music world.

In the mid-seventies, Tito joined another great orchestra, Jorrín, under the direction of Enrique Jorrín, creator of the Cha Cha Chá, with which he continued his great chain of successes. Among them, a song by Lolita de la Colina, Que te vaya bien.

His performances continued to be broadcast on radio and television with the same success and popular preference of several generations throughout his life.

He retired after more than 55 years of artistic career, but was constantly requested by radio and television stations until his death, as they considered that he continued to maintain the same timbre of voice, the same sonority, brilliance and especially his excellent pitch.

His great success was Vereda tropical, which he recorded in 1950 for the first time accompanied by the Riverside Orchestra, when this song by Gonzalo Curiel had already gone around the world in the voices of recognized singers like Toña la Negra, Juan Arvizu, and Pedro Vargas. With him, his career as a singer began a permanent ascent.

Visiting Mexico, he met Pedro Vargas, who recognized the superiority of Tito Gómez in the performance of Vereda tropical over the singing personalities who, like him, had been overshadowed by the voice of the Cuban who managed to popularize it.

Main Hits
Vereda tropical 1950, author: Gonzalo Curiel.

Tito Gómez always maintained his timbre of voice and his excellent pitch.

Amor, amor, amor, 1952, author: Gabriel Ruiz.
Alma de mujer, 1955, author: Armando Valdespí
Cuando ya no me quieras, 1952, author: Cuates Castilla
Hasta mañana vida mía, 1964, author: Rosendo Ruiz Jr
¿Y tú que has hecho?, 1950, author: Eusebio Delfín
Pensamiento, 1950, author: Rafael Gómez
Distintos senderos, 1959, author: A. Varona
Clara, 1959, author: Virgilio González
No es posible querer tanto, 1959, author: Adolfo Guzmán
Aprende corazón, 1959, author: Agustín Rodríguez
Frenesí, 1952, author: Abel Domínguez
Ahora seremos felices, 1959, author: Rafael Hernández
Bajo un palmar, 1959, author: Pedro Flores
Alma con alma, 1956, author: Juan Márquez
Voy a ser feliz, 1974, author: Jorge Estadella

Death
The immortal performer of Vereda Tropical passed away on October 15, 2000, at eighty years of age. The passage of time did not diminish his voice. He still sang Vereda... in the same register with which he performed it for the first time.