MANUEL GALBÁN

The late Manuel Galbán was born in 1931 in Gibara, Holguín Province, Cuba, into a very musical family. Two of his siblings played the guitar, his father played the tres (three-string guitar) and his mother sang. He was essentially a self-taught musician who began playing at a very early age: “My feet didn’t even touch the ground when I sat on a stool,” he once explained. He played the guitar and the tres in several local groups and made his professional debut in 1944 with the Villa Blanca Orchestra. In 1956, Galbán moved to Havana where for seven years he performed in bars and clubs, made several radio appearances and was featured on a number of albums. This was a key stage in Galbán’s career as he began to make a name for himself on the Cuban music scene. He also developed the sound that he would become renowned for. Galbán read more...