User:Smnd147/Fernando Albuerne

Luis Fernando Albuerne Garcell
Born	October 28, 1920 Sagua de Tánamo, Cuba
Died	July 8, 2000 (79 years old) Miami, Florida, United States
Genres	Boleros · Popular Music
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1941-2000

Luis Fernando Albuerne Garcell, known better as Fernando Albuerne (October 28, 1920 - July 8, 2000) was a Cuban singer of popular music.

Early Life

Fernando Albuerne was born to parents Marcelino Albuerne Lopez and Jovita Garcell Regalado in the small Cuban town of Sagua de Tánamo on the far eastern tip of the island . The family businesses included the Hotel Albuerne and a his father's soap factory Jabón Albuerne. Albuerne graduated with an agricultural engineering degree from the La Universidad de Habana and worked at his father's soap factory and later a perfume factory. Despite this work, his friends and family had always admired his singing voice and urged him to compete in the local radio singing contests.

Career

In 1945 he received a monthly stipend to sing on Radio Habana Cuba-Cadena Azul, a gig he would hold onto until 1954. During his time on Radio Cadena his career began to take off quickly. In 1947 he toured the Americas and visited Argentina for the first time where his interpretation of "Dicen que Tengo Celos" was a huge hit. In 1953 he began his first recordings concurrently with a European tour that took him to Spain, Portugal, and France. His first album "Cuba Canta y Baila" was released that year. In 1956 he entered the world of television with his performances on Channel 4 (Canal 4) which grabbed the attention of Radio Caracas Radio, a Venezuelan radio broadcaster. His admiration by the Venezuelan people would later draw him to the country following his departure from Cuba after the 1959 Revolution. In 1958 along with contemporary Esther Borja, the duo put on a show at the Waldorf Astoria in New York city titled "Tropicana por el Mundo". In 1959 he organized a campaign to join the best of Cuban voices to collect funds to reconstruct his hometown which had been terribly damaged from a fire.

Later Years and Death

In 1960, Albuerne moved to Caracas where he released his first album post-revolution titled "El Son se Fue de Cuba" (lit. The Sound of Cuba is Gone). He found much success throughout the decade, later releasing 12 albums in all. In 1979 he moved to Miami and participated in a show titled "El Show del los Grandes". Albuerne has a star on the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame in Miami. Albuerne passed away on July 8th, 2000 from Parkinson's Disease.