Eliades Ochoa – 9:00 PM

Eliades Ochoa was born on June 22, 1946, in Songo la Maya, Santiago de Cuba. Ochoa is considered one of the most renowned Cuban “soneros” of all time, a notable defender of traditional Cuban music, and the best guitarist of his generation. His distinctive cowboy hat and his penchant for wearing black have led some to call him “The Cuban Johnny Cash.” From a very young age, he began to play the guitar with his parents as teachers. In his walks through “guateques,” bars, and “zonas de tolerancia,” he began to learn the vast traditional repertoire of Cuban music, of which he is a teacher today. His musical style is due to his place of origin, the Cuban countryside, the anecdotes he listened to, the “guateques campesinos,” and a series of other elements that marked him and made him the artist he is today.

Ochoa is one of the stars and founders of Buena Vista Social Club. With that album he won his first Grammy as Best Tropical Latin Performance in 1997. In 1998, Ochoa collaborated with Manu Dibango on the album CubAfrica. Between 1999 and 2000, he was nominated for a Grammy under Best Tropical Latin and nominated for an Oscar with the documentary of Buena Vista Social Club. In 2010 he recorded the album Afrocubism accompanied by his group Patria and important musicians from Mali. National Geographic recognized it as the best album of the year, and in 2012 it was nominated for a Grammy. In 2012, he released the album Un Bolero Para Ti, delighting his audience with sublime melodies and winning four Latin Grammy Awards. Ochoa continues creating and composing music.

Eliades Ochoa Website
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)