Eliades Ochoa, the number one star of Cuban music, guitarist, singer and co-founder of the legendary BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB. You can hear Ochoa's voice from the band's legendary, timeless hit "Chan Chan", which has millions of streams every year. He won his first Grammy Award in 1997 for the group's world-famous album and was nominated for an Academy Award for WIM WENDERS' documentary "Buena Vista Social Club". Eliades, one of the most famous Cuban "soneros" of all time, an important representative of traditional Cuban music and the best guitarist of his generation, is coming to Prague with his new album "Guajiro". On this concert, you will hear songs from the new album as well as legendary and timeless hits from the repertoire of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB.
Ochoa, nicknamed the Cuban Johnny Cash, was born on 22 June 1946 in Songo la Maya, Santiago de Cuba. In 1969 Eliades joined the band Septeto Típico Oriental and in 1970 he officially joined Casa de la Trova, where he began performing regularly. In 1982 he joined the Cuarteto Patria as its leader, arranger, singer and solo guitarist. In the 1980s, he toured with Compay Segundo and recorded the first version of “Chan Chan” with him. His guitar playing in this iconic song has become a hallmark that continues to inspire both musicians and his audience to this day.
The album “Sublime Ilusión” released on Virgin Records was contributed by Charlie Musselwhite, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Ry Cooder. In 2010, he recorded the album “Afrocubism” accompanied by his band Patria and prominent musicians from Mali. National Geographic awarded this album as the best album of the year in the world music category. In 2012, he released the album “Un Bolero Para Ti”, which won four Grammys.
He has collaborated with such stars as Enrique Bumbury, Luis Eduardo Aute, Manu Dibango, Jarabe de Palo, Blof Umoja, Charlie Musselwhite, Moncho, Armando Manzanero, Descemer Bueno, Pablo Milanés, among others. In 2013, he was selected to participate in a tribute to Bob Dylan.
In December 2018, the documentary “Eliades Ochoa from Cuba to the World” about his artistic career was released. The film has won several awards and has been shown at major film festivals around the world.
