René Marquéz Rojo

Musician, composer, and singer with a distinguished musical career in Cuba since the 1930s. He was the father of singer Beatriz Márquez.

He was born in Remedios, Villa Clara. As a young man, he learned the trade of dental mechanic, while also learning to play guitar in a self-taught manner.

He took his first steps in the arts in Remedios when he performed serenades and composed his first works. In 1930 he debuted as a singer in the Cervantes orchestra directed by Bellín Domenech. Two years later, he was accompanied on piano by Juan Bruno Tarraza—who would later become a renowned pianist—and Bellín Domenech on a radio station in Caibarién.

In 1937 he arrived in La Habana to join Paulin's orchestra. Subsequently, he worked in various orchestras such as René Touzet's, the Bouffartique orchestra, Neno González's orchestra, Cheo Belén Puig's orchestra, the Anckerman orchestra, the Díhigo orchestra, the Orquesta Siglo XX, and Arcaño y sus maravillas orchestra.

In 1939 he premiered the bolero "No te importe saber," which marked a milestone in the history of the genre for its innovative melodic-harmonic work. With the recording for RCA Victor by Miguelito Valdés with the Casino de la Playa Orchestra, the number had immediate repercussion in other Latin American countries and in the United States.

His definitive consecration came when he joined Julio Cueva's orchestra, where he remained for ten years. With this group, he performed in the best venues in the country, namely, radio, dances, recordings, and tours.

After ten years with Julio Cuevas's orchestra, he left it to dedicate himself to a solo career until 1970, when he joined the Tanda de Guaracheros group of the Consejo Nacional de Cultura, a group that he subsequently directed.

This interpreter and composer's body of work comprises songs such as "Espontáneamente"—performed by his daughter, the very musical Beatriz Márquez—"Ven junto a mi," "En el cielo de mi vida," "Es la ilusión," "La vida es un momento," and "Puede una flor," all composed in the bolero style.

In the guaracha genre, he created "Jícara," "El grano de maíz," and the most popular, "Soltando chispa," performed on the program Palmas y Cañas and recorded both in Cuba and abroad.

Other compositions were the boleros "Colegiala," "Chagara y cuchillo," "Te deseo felicidades," "Se Formo," "Para que mueras de amor," "El granito de maíz," and "San Lázaro."

Since 1970, the Festival del Creador Musical René Márquez In Memoriam has been celebrated in Remedios, a tribute held by the people of Remedios together with the government.