Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (1919-1963), known worldwide as Benny Moré, is one of the greatest figures of Cuban music. He was born in Santa Isabel de las Lajas in the Cienfuegos province. For this reason, it was decided to erect a statue in memory of this well-known Cuban singer and composer in a popular and frequented place of the city. The sculptor José Villa Somerón that was living in Santiago but born in Santa Isabel de las Lajas in the Cienfuegos province, was entrusted with the project. José Ramón Villa Soberón is known particularly for his public sculptures in Havana, such as the statue of John Lennon in Parque Lennon, the statues of Ernest Hemingway (in Floridita Bar), Mother Teresa of Calcutta (in Jardín Madre Teresa de Calcutta), Che Guevara (in Palacio Central de Pioneros Ernesto Che Guevara, Parque Lenin) and El Caballero de Paris in Plaza de San Francisco. The statue of Benny Moré was unveiled in the middle of the Paseo el Prado on November 27, 2004.

The bronze statue is at life size (1,82 cm) and weighs about 300 kg. The illustrious singer is represented like a passerby walking through the busiest street in the city, with his wide-brimmed hat and the baton in his hand, with which he conducted his orchestra.

BARTOLOMÉ MAXIMILIANO MORÉ GUTIÉRREZ (BENNY MORÉ)

Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez was born on August 24, 1919, in the modest town of Santa Isabel de las Lajas, as the oldest of 18 children of a poor black couple. This is where his surname comes from, as his great-great-grandfather was the slave to the Count of Casa Moré. Due to poverty, he had to change schools, even leaving school in the fourth grade to get a job. He worked as a truck driver.

Having an extraordinary ear and voice led him to sing and play the guitar from an early age. He bought his first guitar at the age of 17, but a legend tells those 11 years earlier, he had replicated that musical instrument with his own hands and thus learned to play.

In 1940 he decided to conquer Havana and traveled to the capital in a truck loaded with cabbages. Thus, he began to play in bars and cafes. Until Miguel Matamoros, guitarist, composer, and singer, offered to join the band Matamoros Trio, he spent four years between hotels, restaurants, and brothels, acted for tourists on the docks of Old Havana, and strolled through the marginal neighborhood of Belén.

Moving to Mexico, Bartolomé performed in many cabarets and party houses with Matamoros. After a while, when Matamoros returned to Cuba, Bartolomé stayed in Mexico, changing his name to Benny Moré, and continued to sing in nightclubs and to make recordings with many different orchestras, among them the creator of the mambo, the legendary Dámaso Pérez Prado.

1953, he founded his own orchestra, Banda Gigante, consisting of 21 musicians. His orchestra had a format of a jazz band that would play Cuban music due to the selected instruments. The first performance of the Banda Gigante was on the CMQ radio station in Havana and it was critically acclaimed. From 1954 his career began to rise at a dizzying pace. The relationship between Benny Moré and the Cuban people grew stronger with each passing day. Between 1956 and 1957 Banda Gigante toured Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, and the United States, where the group performed at the Oscar Awards ceremony.

After the Revolution, while many artists left the country, Benny Moré refused to emigrate, even though tempting contracts were offered to him: “Now is when I feel like a man with all the rights in my country. Nobody takes me out of here. I'm not interested in dollars."

Nightlife, alcohol, endless tours, grueling dances, live broadcasts on TV and radio were increasingly challenging Benny Moré. He got sicker; it turned out that he had cirrhosis. After this date, Benny put an end to alcohol; he was content with washing his hands with rum and smelling it.

During a concert in Colón, he bled heavily and vomited blood until he reached Havana. Still, he stubbornly did not want to go to the hospital. He said he wanted to see his children first.

When he arrived at the emergency of the hospital on Avenida de Carlos III, his body left him completely. He was in an irreversible period due to pulmonary and renal complications and couldn’t come out of this situation again. He died on the morning of that night, on February 19, 1963, at the age of 44.

All over the country, in Mexico, Venezuela, etc. music lovers drown in deep sadness.

Although he never had a musical education, 33 of his works top the list. El Bárbaro del Ritmo has a special place among them. His songs such as Dolor y Perdón, Bonito y Sabroso, Qué Bueno Baila Usted, Cienfuegos and Santa Isabel de las Lajas are among the unforgettable.

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