Charly Salgado Songbook

Combining the best of Cuban Trova, Nueva Trova, Rock, and Heavy Metal, along with a love of poetry and philosophy, Charly Salgado is undoubtedly one of the most eclectic Cuban singer-songwriter of his generation. As a witness to the unfolding history of the island over the past five decades, he explores and questions not only the reality of life on the island but also his role in chronicling the ever-changing situation. A reflection of all he has seen and heard, as well as all that he has experienced firsthand, he composes songs that fuse his many influences, taking both lyrical and musical risks, and all the while remaining true to his roots and identity as a trovador (troubadour).

Cuban Beat Books is thrilled to present this collection of Charly Salgado's lyrics, translated by Indira Rodríguez Ruiz, as the inaugural volume in a new bilingual series, Songbooks, featuring the works of contemporary Cuban singer-songwriters expertly translated into English and accompanied with informative introductions.

Charly Salgado has been a member of the Asociación Hermanos Saiz since 1999 and the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) since 2001. Born in Manzanillo, he moved to the capital at an early age and was strongly influenced and inspired by international pop and rock sounds in addition to the trova, as his compositions reflect. He is part of a group of artists who gathered at the Centro Cultural Pablo de la Torriente Brau in the early 2000s, both participating in the Puntal Alto showcase for younger artists and, later, headlining a concert for the A guitarra limpia concert series. His most recent recordings include Buscando caminos (2003) and Entre la trova y la postrova (2006).

Indira Rodríguez Ruiz is editor of the performing arts magazine, Tablas, and has coordinated the Havana Theater Festival (2017 and 2019) and the Latin American Monologue Festival (2012). She graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte (2007) and is a member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). Her journalistic work has appeared in various media such as Tablas, Hypermedia, La Jiribilla, Esquife, and Escenarios (Portugal).