Biography
Daniel Santos (1916 - 1992) was a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, performer of many Caribbean music genres.
Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico on June 6, 1916, to a poor family, his father occasionally worked as a carpenter and laborer; in the late 1920s, the family moved to New York City in search of better opportunities. Little Daniel had to polish shoes on the streets of New York in order to help his family. At 15, he left home and moved to Manhattan, where he began singing at birthday parties and weddings. In the 1930s he was hired to join a band that played at Cuban Casino, where the famous Puerto Rican musician and composer Pedro Flores was impressed with his voice. He invited him to join the Pedro Flores quartet and soon wrote songs suitable for his voice.
Their collaboration was a great success, they had many successes, one was "Despedida" (Farewell) inspired by the thousands of Puerto Ricans recruited to fight in World War II. The song had a strong political impact with many Puerto Ricans beginning to question their involvement in a war they could not understand, as they has to fight for the United States in distant lands. Since then, Santos has also been associated with the Puerto Rican independence movement.
In 1941, Santos was recruited by the U.S. Army, sent to Maui and later to Okinawa as part of the U.S. Army Infantry, but probably did not give a real battle. In the following years he claimed that he was "saved from the front line" thanks to his "ability to sing and play guitar". At the end of the war, he returned to New York to resume his career. Pedro Flores was looking forward to recording new songs, including "Linda" which became a huge success. Meanwhile, his personal life, which was never exemplary, deteriorated with alcohol, drugs and non-stop parties, with many women.
In 1946, Daniel began a long stay in Havana, Cuba, where he was offered a contract to sing on radio. Santos became an integral part of the glamorous, albeit often frantic, night scene of Havana, his recordings in Cuba producing many hits that made Santos extremely popular from Argentina to Mexico.
Around that time he was arrested by Havana police for possession of drugs, he was imprisoned but the President intervened and he was freed without a trial. The protection of the president ended in 1952 when a military coup took place under Colonel Batista. Santos was no longer safe in Cuba and decided to leave the island.
He toured extensively in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Colombia, where he was hailed as a hero. In 1957 he openly supported the cause of the Cuban Revolution by composing and recording "Sierra Maestra" an ode to the fighting guerrillas under Fidel Castro; at that time he gave his profits from the sale of records to Castro and his men. After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, he returned to Havana and received a heroic welcome from the new regime. However, he soon disagreed with the new government's practices, accused them of deceiving themselves and the Cuban people, and left Cuba never to return.
Daniel Santos continued recording and touring in America during the 1960s and 1970s, always returning to his beloved Puerto Rico, where he continued to support the cause of independence. During his long career, in addition to many scandals, Daniel was distinguished for his generosity, contributing money to various charities. In the early 1980s his health deteriorated and he decided to move with his twelfth wife to Ocala, Florida where he bought a ranch. On November 27, 1992, his heart stopped beating; he was buried at his own request in San Juan, Puerto Rico.