CHEO MARQUETTI

José Marcelino Díaz Marquetti (April 26, 1909 – March 29, 1967), better known as Cheo Marquetti, was a renowned Cuban son vocalist and songwriter. Marquetti was born in Alquízar, Cuba. He was the son of "El Lucumí" Marquetti, an Abakuá member of Los Chinos Buenos, a white, black and mulatto band whose members dressed as Chinese. He started his career in 1930 as a singer with the Sexteto Camagüey in 1930, then in the later 1930s as singer of danzons with the Cheo Belén Puig Orchestra as well as Ernesto Muñoz's Conjunto. He then joined a number of septetos, among them Septeto Cauto, led by Manuel 'Mozo' Borgella with whom he recorded in 1940 (including the song Efi Embemoro - the first Afro-Ñáñigo song to be recorded; Cheo Marquetti previously had recorded this tune in a duet setting with Bienvenido Granda in 1936, accompanied by Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro). This read more...