Polo Montanez

Fernando Borrego Linares (born on June 5, 1955), also known as Polo Montañez, was a Cuban singer-songwriter and one of the most important exponents of the son cubano. A self-taught musician, Montañez started playing tumbadoras and guitar in family gatherings with his father at the age of 7. After busking in touristic hubs with his group throughout the province of Artemisa, he started to write his own songs around 1973. By the time he turned 44, Montañez had penned more than 70 songs with no intention of ever releasing them. In 1999, he met one of the owners of the European Lusafrica label, who convinced him to sign a record deal. Guajiro Natural (2000), his studio debut, was a huge success in Colombia, where it achieved gold and platinum status. It also featured Montañez’s biggest hit, “Un Montón De Estrellas,” which made his name known throughout Latin America. A subsequent European tour followed, after which he released Guitarra Mía (2002) to popular acclaim. The success of Guitarra Mía would be eclipsed by Montañez’s premature death that same year, due to a traffic accident. In the following years, Lusafrica released Memoria (2004), a compilation with the sonero’s greatest hits.