Home · Artists · Rubén Blades

🇵🇦 Panama · 1974–present

Rubén Blades

Rubén Blades is not just a name in salsa, but a way of understanding music as a tool to tell stories. His sound, which many call intellectual salsa, blends Caribbean rhythms with lyrics that speak of justice, politics, and everyday life. It is not a genre that stays at the party: each song sounds like a tale where trombones, congas, and his deep voice intertwine to create more than just music. Since the 70s, Blades has built his own style, where percussion is not just accompaniment, but part of the narrative.

In the 70s, Blades made a key turn when he joined Willie Colón. Together they recorded Metiendo mano, an album that did not aim to sound perfect in the studio, but alive. Songs like Pablo Pueblo or Plantación adentro showcase that mix of street energy and lyrics that question. But it was with Siembra where the experiment became a classic. Tracks like Pedro Navaja or Buscando guayaba are not just hits, they are sonic portraits of characters and situations that salsa had rarely explored with such depth. Recorded with borrowed equipment and in record time, the album proved that authenticity does not need polished production to sound eternal.

Salsa latin latin jazz latin pop Rock 1940s

5 Albums

37 Songs

186K Listeners/mo

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Essential songs

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El pescador

De Panamá a New York

De Panamá a New York · 1970

4:19 03

Amanecer

De Panamá a New York · 1970

2:50 04

Dónde

De Panamá a New York · 1970

2:25 05

El bravo

De Panamá a New York · 1970

3:34 06

Descarga caliente

De Panamá a New York · 1970

5:24 07

When

De Panamá a New York · 1970

2:38 08

Hey Man

De Panamá a New York · 1970

3:41 09

Solo

De Panamá a New York · 1970

2:42 10

Juan González

De Panamá a New York · 1970

3:57

5 album|s · 1970 — 2017

Full discography

2017 ★ Essential

Salsa Big Band

10 song|s · latin

1988 ★ Essential

Antecedente

9 song|s · latin

1987

Agua de luna

3 song|s · latin

1984 ★ Essential

Buscando América

5 song|s · latin

1970 ★ Essential

De Panamá a New York

10 song|s · latin

Details, awards, members and more

More about Rubén Blades

Biography

Beyond albums, Blades has collaborated with names like Ray Barretto, Héctor Lavoe, or Fania All-Stars, but always kept his voice as a composer. El Cantante, written for Lavoe, is a tribute that transcends music: it captures the essence of an artist and his struggle. He also ventured into cinema, where his acting reflects the same ability to tell stories, this time on screen. In 2021, the Recording Academy named him Person of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards, an accolade that comes after fourteen Grammy Awards, but does not change what he has always been: a musician who uses salsa to talk about what the world sometimes prefers to keep silent.