El bravo

When Rubén Blades was in New York, after his second visit to the city, his talent caught the attention of Pancho Cristal, producer at Alegre Records. This meeting was key, as Alegre Records had already propelled hits previously. The result of this collaboration materialized in the album De Panamá a New York, Blades' debut as a solo artist and the eleventh work by Pete Rodríguez and His Orchestra. Released in 1970, this record contained tracks like Descarga Caliente and El Bravo, which, although they did not achieve the expected impact at the time, laid the groundwork for Blades' later compositions, including Pedro Navaja and Plástico. The recording of the album coincided with a family trip by Blades to New York.

The inspiration for some of his later works also stemmed from this period. For example, the song El Cazanguero, which would later appear on the album The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, has its roots in Blades' Panamanian experience during his stay in the city. The track El Bravo, with a duration of 3 minutes and 34 seconds, is one of the pieces that make up this important initial work.