Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Roberto Torres papers
Date(s)
- 1979-1990 (Creation)
Extent
3 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Roberto Torres (1940-) began his music career in his hometown of Güines, Cuba at an early age. In 1959, Torres emigrated to the United States where he continued his music career, starting the Orquesta Broadway in New York City in 1963. His major break came in 1965 when he signed on as singer for the Latin band, Sonora Matancera.
In the 1970s, Torres embarked on his solo carreer and founded Guajiro Records in 1973. In later life, Torres organized and played lead for the Miami-basedband, Roberto Torres y su Orquesta.
Torres is credited with inventing the charanga-vallenta, a style of Latin music blending the traditional rythms of the Cuban charangaand the Colombian vallento. He is perhaps most known for the hit 1980 rendition of Simón Díaz's Venezuelan folksong, Caballo Viejo, done in the charanga-vallenata style.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Roberto Torres papers contains scrapbooks covering the performing and recording career of Cuban musician Roberto Torres (1940-) in the United States. The scrapbooks contain photographs, newspaper clippings on his tours, shows, and musical releases, programs from his live events, and other memorabilia.
System of arrangement
The scrapbooks have been maintained in their orignal order.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact chc@miami.edu for more information.
Preferred citation: Roberto Torres Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- English
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Roberto Torres, 2014.