Biography
Orlando González Soto ( Santiago de Cuba ; May 22, 1930 – Medellín ; February 9, 1994), better known artistically as Orlando Contreras , was a Cuban singer of boleros , especially those of spite , being called by his fans "The Romantic Voice." from Cuba".
He began singing in several diverse musical groups in Havana, including the Arty Valdés trio ; and then, from 1952 to 1956, he performed in Neno González 's orchestra . In that orchestra she achieved some popularity to the point of recording an album that was successful. At the same time he was working in Neno's orchestra, he was also working in Conjunto Casino . That is where he decide to become a soloist.
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He stayed in Cuba during the first years of the revolution . In 1961 he recorded more albums that gave him some notoriety as a headliner. He Played the Alí Bar alongside Beny Moré , Fernando Álvarez and Orlando Vallejo. He also worked with the Musicuba ensemble and in September 1965 he moved to the United States . One of his greatest hits was "Mi Corazonada", by José Fernández Pérez.
Between 1966 and 1970 he performed on a Portuguese tourist boat , while continuing to record. In the 1970s, he recorded an anthology album with Daniel Santos and toured America and Spain .
He finally settled in Medellín , where in the 1970s, he and Daniel Santos were "proclaimed" as Los Jefes by patrons of the bars and cantinas in the city center. There he made recordings with the Fruko y sus Tesos.
Some of his hits include:
En un beso la vida
Sin egoísmo, Difícil
Amarga decepción
Por borracha
Por un puñado de oro
Dónde tu iras
Mi corazonada
Muerto en vida
Dolor de hombre
Que murmuren
Un amigo mío
Amigo de qué
Yo estoy desengañado
Arráncame la vida
Egoísmo
Esta tu canción
Se muy bien que vendrás
Corazón de Madera.
He died in Medellin at the age of 63 under mysterious circumstances.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.