Eliades Ochoa

Eliades Ochoa, legendary Latin Grammy–winning musician of Buena Vista Social Club and Septeto Típico Oriental fame, makes his Cleveland Museum of Art debut with his sextet.

Eliades is considered one of the most renowned Cuban soneros of all time, a notable celebrator of traditional Cuban music, and one of the best guitarists of his generation. The rugged features, the signature hat, the cowboy boots and the iconic “man in black” image, and the songs from the school of life imbued with the sort of hard-earned, country-tinged wisdom that can’t be bought—you don’t have to look or listen too hard to understand why he is often called “Cuba’s Johnny Cash.” Yet if parallels abound, his new album, Guajiro, also shows him to be a singular voice with his own unique style and sound, rooted deep in Cuban tradition but with an appeal that is as timeless as it is universal.

Eliades joined Septeto Típico Oriental in 1969 and officially entered the Casa de la Trova in 1970, where he began to perform regularly. In 1982, he became part of the Cuarteto Patria as director, arranger, vocalist, and lead guitarist. He influenced the group’s repertoire, keeping alive the tradition of Cuban folk music.

In the 1980s, Eliades participated in multiple tours with Compay Segundo and Cuarteto Patria. During this time, he recorded the first version of “Chan Chan.” Eliades’s unique style of playing the preludes on the guitar left a long-lasting impression, influencing the way other musicians performed the song.

He is one of the stars and founders of Buena Vista Social Club. With this album, he won his first Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance in 1997 and was nominated for an Oscar as part of the 1999 documentary film Buena Vista Social Club. In this album, Eliades performs some of the most iconic songs of Buena Vista, including “Chan Chan,” “El Cuarto de Tula,” “Candela,” and “El Carretero.”

After his time at Buena Vista, Eliades signed with Virgin Records Spain, with whom he recorded Sublime Ilusión, Tributo al Cuarteto Patria, and Un Guajiro sin Fronteras. These albums, two of which were nominated for Grammy Awards, marked a significant point in his artistic career.

In 2012, his album Un Bolero para Ti won four Latin Grammy Awards. Additionally, he was one of the most notable figures on World Circuit’s album AfroCubism, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2010 and recognized by National Geographic as one of the best albums in the world that year.

He has collaborated with a number of stars, including Enrique Bumbury, Luis Eduardo Aute, Manu Dibango, Jarabe de Palo, BLØF, Charlie Musselwhite, Moncho, Armando Manzanero, Descemer Bueno, Pablo Milanés, among others. In 2013, he was selected to participate in a tribute to Bob Dylan.

Eliades was the first Cuban to receive the Latin Award Canada in 2018 for his music career. In the same year, a documentary called Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World was released, highlighting his career in music. The documentary received several awards at major film festivals worldwide.

More recently, Eliades reissued his 2020 album Vamos a Bailar un Son and collaborated with Spanish rapper C. Tangana on the song  “Muriendo de Envidia” and with Los Ángeles Azules on “Nací en un Pueblo de Latinoamérica.”

Now, with the release of Guajiro, he adds a new and revealing chapter that weaves together all the threads and strands of his storied life and career into a definitive and compelling personal testament that honors his past while ambitiously taking his music into new pastures. 

The views expressed by performers during this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Museum of Art.