Juan González

When Rubén Blades was in New York for the second time, his talent caught the attention of Pancho Cristal, a producer for Alegre Records. From that connection, the album De Panamá a New York emerged, released in 1970. This work marked Blades' debut as a solo artist and became the eleventh record by Pete Rodríguez and His Orchestra. Although songs like Descarga Caliente, El Bravo, and Juan González did not achieve the expected impact at the time, they laid the groundwork for later compositions that would resonate more strongly, such as Pedro Navaja, Plástico, and Siembra.

The recording of De Panamá a New York coincided with a family trip for Blades to the city. It was during this stay that the Panamanian artist conceived the idea for El Cazanguero, a track that would eventually be included on the album The Good, the Bad, the Ugly. The piece Juan González, with a duration of 3 minutes and 57 seconds, is part of this initial recording which, while not an immediate success, reveals itself as a fundamental starting point in the career of Rubén Blades.