René Cabel(1914-1998)
- Actor
Cuban crooner who achieved international renown through radio and television broadcasts, countless recordings, and performances on stage and night-clubs. He was named at birth René José de Jesús Cabezas Rodríguez and grew up in Havana showing since early childhood a great interest in music and a passion for singing. His parents were very supportive making sure that their son received a proper education with the Salesians as well as singing lessons from the Italian dramatic tenor Arturo Gobbi who had settled in Havana after arriving in 1919 as Enrico Caruso's choral director.
After briefly trying his talent at opera, René decided he was more comfortable with the popular rhythms of his homeland. With a new repertoire of sentimental love songs, he made an auspicious debut in 1933 at Radio Salas moving later to CMBD Radio which offered him a better contract, certainly a sign of his growing popularity. His voice on radio reached the ears of Ernesto Lecuona, Cuba's top composer and pianist, who immediately hired him to appear in his music revue at Havana's Teatro Nacional. René was assigned by Lecuona the song "Yo quiero que tú sepas" (I want you to know) which became an instant hit with audiences and eventually, one of René's most popular recordings. Since then René considered Lecuona his true discoverer.
In 1937 René Cabel went to Mexico City to sing at the iconic XEW Radio and in various night clubs. He had an outstanding success and signed an exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor. The recordings were done in Havana and for those sessions he was paired with Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández. It was an inspired combination since René's voice with its unique warm sound was perfect for Mr. Hernandez's romantic boleros. The recordings made René popular all over the American continent and the singer embarked on his first international tour covering several cities in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and The United States. He became known as the ultimate Tenor of the Antilles.
Back in Cuba he continued recording backed by some of Cuba's most emblematic big bands such as the Riverside Orchestra, the Hermanos Castro Orchestra, the Casino de la Playa Orchestra, the Havana Casino Orchestra and those under the direction of Alberto Brito, Enrique González Mántici, and Julio Gutiérrez. In the 1950's he hosted his own television program titled "Cita con René Cabel" (A Date with René Cabel) featuring national and international guest stars such as Olga Guillot, Mario Moreno "Cantinflas," Arturo de Córdoba, María Félix, Pedro Vargas, Agustín Lara, and many others. Around this time René diversified his activities by becoming the artistic director of "Karachi", a plush Havana night club, where he booked the best Cuban orchestras and vocalists. René became very successful as talent manager and agent for several artists, an activity that he found fascinating and rewarding since he loved all aspects of show business and had the experience for the job.
After the 1959 Cuban revolution, René decided to leave the embattled island and settled in Bogotá, Colombia where he proceeded with his singing career as well as launching and managing new talents and organizing music events, activities that kept him busy and in the public eye for more than three decades. He was instrumental in importing from Cuba and other countries several talented musicians who, thanks to his efforts, were able to display their talents in Colombia achieving international notoriety. René Cabel died in 1998 due to diabetes complications but his voice lives on in his prolific discography and in the memories of several generations.
After briefly trying his talent at opera, René decided he was more comfortable with the popular rhythms of his homeland. With a new repertoire of sentimental love songs, he made an auspicious debut in 1933 at Radio Salas moving later to CMBD Radio which offered him a better contract, certainly a sign of his growing popularity. His voice on radio reached the ears of Ernesto Lecuona, Cuba's top composer and pianist, who immediately hired him to appear in his music revue at Havana's Teatro Nacional. René was assigned by Lecuona the song "Yo quiero que tú sepas" (I want you to know) which became an instant hit with audiences and eventually, one of René's most popular recordings. Since then René considered Lecuona his true discoverer.
In 1937 René Cabel went to Mexico City to sing at the iconic XEW Radio and in various night clubs. He had an outstanding success and signed an exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor. The recordings were done in Havana and for those sessions he was paired with Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández. It was an inspired combination since René's voice with its unique warm sound was perfect for Mr. Hernandez's romantic boleros. The recordings made René popular all over the American continent and the singer embarked on his first international tour covering several cities in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and The United States. He became known as the ultimate Tenor of the Antilles.
Back in Cuba he continued recording backed by some of Cuba's most emblematic big bands such as the Riverside Orchestra, the Hermanos Castro Orchestra, the Casino de la Playa Orchestra, the Havana Casino Orchestra and those under the direction of Alberto Brito, Enrique González Mántici, and Julio Gutiérrez. In the 1950's he hosted his own television program titled "Cita con René Cabel" (A Date with René Cabel) featuring national and international guest stars such as Olga Guillot, Mario Moreno "Cantinflas," Arturo de Córdoba, María Félix, Pedro Vargas, Agustín Lara, and many others. Around this time René diversified his activities by becoming the artistic director of "Karachi", a plush Havana night club, where he booked the best Cuban orchestras and vocalists. René became very successful as talent manager and agent for several artists, an activity that he found fascinating and rewarding since he loved all aspects of show business and had the experience for the job.
After the 1959 Cuban revolution, René decided to leave the embattled island and settled in Bogotá, Colombia where he proceeded with his singing career as well as launching and managing new talents and organizing music events, activities that kept him busy and in the public eye for more than three decades. He was instrumental in importing from Cuba and other countries several talented musicians who, thanks to his efforts, were able to display their talents in Colombia achieving international notoriety. René Cabel died in 1998 due to diabetes complications but his voice lives on in his prolific discography and in the memories of several generations.