Pedro Buenaventura Jesús Junco Redondas

Composer Pedro Junco was born in the city of Pinar del Río, the same man who died at only 23 years old, not before having earned the affection of admirers of his musical work, among which are anthological songs such as Estoy triste, Soy como soy, Me lo dijo el mar, Quisiera, Tus ojos, and Nosotros, the most well-known, among others.

His greatness is demonstrated by the inclusion of his songs in the repertoires of many of the most renowned Cuban and foreign performers, among whom we can mention Rita Montaner, Esther Borja, Elena Burke, the Orquesta Aragón, the Hermanas Lago, Fernando Fernández, as well as René Cabel, Luis Gardel, Plácido Domingo, Julio Iglesias, Sarita Montiel, Albert Hammond, Lupita D´Alessio and la Pequeña Compañía. His works, furthermore, have been used in Mexican and Cuban films.

A high school graduate, Junco enrolled at the Universidad de La Habana, but abandoned his studies motivated by music, to which he dedicated himself entirely.

He was a true cultural promoter, for in his native Pinar del Río he founded the Asociación de Periodismo y Radio and the Sociedad Juvenil Rafael Morales, in addition to working as a radio announcer and offering recitals of his songs, accompanied by his sister Antonia Junco and his friend and singer Tony Chirolde.

He was a cheerful and fun-loving young man, with many friends from humble backgrounds, despite the fact that he belonged to the middle social class. It is for this reason that his funeral was a deeply felt show of mourning by the people of Pinar del Río. His friend Amado Martínez Malo, Amadito, recounts it this way: "All of Pinar del Río was there. From the balconies they threw flowers at the coffin. Those present could not fit in the cemetery. The entire Normal School and the Instituto de Pinar were there. Everyone was crying. It was practically provincial mourning".

Regarding the evolutionary process of the illness that ended the life of young Pedro Junco, Amadito recounts that on March 9, 1939 in the evening hours, while studying, he had his first tuberculous manifestation: hemoptysis. He then expectorates again and medical studies begin along with a rest process that recovers him, until in April of 1943 he shows a relapse and is admitted; his health deteriorates.

On the 25th of that month, in the evening hours, after the radio premiere of his song Soy como soy, in the voice of René Cabel, consumed by tuberculosis, Pedrito —as his close ones called him— passes away, leaving a great void in them and in those who admired his musical work.