Ruben Blades
Ruben Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna, known professionally as Rubén Blades, is a Panamanian singer, songwriter, actor, musician, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban, salsa, and Latin jazz genres. As a songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of Central American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova as well as experimental tempos and politically inspired Nuyorican salsa to his music, creating "thinking persons'dance music"...
NationalityPanamanian
ProfessionWorld Music Singer
Date of Birth16 July 1948
CityPanama City, Panama
CountryPanama
So that in 1974, when I graduated as a lawyer, I figured I'm not going to be a lawyer under a military regime.
So that when I came to New York again, it was, I'm not too sure right now, but it was '74 or '75. I went to Miami in '74 and then I came to New York, I think, at the end of '74.
Yes, I was going to law school and it was closed in '69.
I didn't do drugs, I never did do drugs. Never. I don't have any story of drugs, you know, to speak of. Never did drugs, never was interested in drugs and then I wasn't interested in the people around the drugs.
So that I saw music as a way of documenting realities from the urban cities of Latin America.
A lot of times you're just conditioned by what's around you.
I was the first person to come into New York with a Latin American point of view which was also very much influenced by political happenings in Latin America.
I think in New York we had respect and we would pretty much fill up the places where we went, but I never got the sense that we really were Number 1 here in New York among the Latin crowds.
Everyone comes back. It makes no difference how far we wander, we always have our country, our land, in our souls and our minds.
People are a lot smarter than anyone gives them credit for being.
I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance.