Cuba Honors Roberto Faz on the 60th Anniversary of His Death

April 27, 2026

Cuba pays tribute to Roberto Faz Monzón, known as El sonero blanco de Cuba (The White Sonero of Cuba), on the 60th anniversary of his death on April 26, 1966, in Havana. Six decades after his passing, the unmistakable voice of the sonero from Regla continues to resonate through the canon of Cuban popular music.

Born on September 18, 1914, in the waterfront town of Regla, Roberto Faz grew up in a humble family and from an early age showed an irresistible vocation for music. At 13 he was already playing maracas, güiro, and bongó in the Septeto Champán Sport. It was trumpeter Félix Chapotín who taught him the secrets of Cuban son during those formative years.

His definitive consecration came in 1944, when he joined the legendary Conjunto Casino, directed by Roberto Espí, as lead vocalist. With that ensemble he toured the United States and Latin America, recorded for RCA Víctor and Panart, and brought guaracha, bolero, and son cubano to stages across Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and beyond. The Casino's mythical vocal trio — Espí, Faz, and Rolito Reyes — became one of the defining emblems of Cuban popular music of the era.

In 1956, Roberto Faz founded his own conjunto, debuting in the salons of the Liceo de Regla before quickly becoming a fixture at the Stadium Tropical and the Alí Bar Club. It was during this period that his great friend and colleague Benny Moré bestowed upon him the nickname that would stay with him forever: "El sonero blanco de Cuba."

Faz's powerful, clear, and deeply musical voice was captured in nearly four hundred recordings. Hits such as Comprensión, Como vivo en Luyanó, Realidad y fantasía, and Cositas que tiene mi Cuba form part of the island's sonic heritage. In his final years, Faz explored the dengue rhythm, contributing pieces like Dengue de la cana and Dengue en fa to his vast legacy.

Cuba's official newspaper Granma honored the artist on April 26 with the piece "Roberto Faz: el brillo de un legado eterno" (Roberto Faz: The Shine of an Eternal Legacy), noting that his work remains a touchstone of Cuban popular music to this day. Sixty years after his death, his name endures as one of the great pillars of 20th-century Cuban son and bolero.