Polo Montañez

Biographical Information of Polo Montañez

Fernando Borrego Linares was born in the area known as El Brujito (The Sorcerer) in the Sierra del Rosario (Rosario Mountains), in Pinar del Rio, the 5th of June, 1955.

As he commented, his beginnings in music were at the age 7 when he began to play a “tumbadora”,a big leather drum, at family parties.

At the age 12 he was already singing country tunes.

Then he was part of his father´s group, a sextet that also included brothers, other relatives and friends that played in birthdays and farewell parties in the nearby villages and gave serenades.

In 1973 he composed his first song, which titled “Este tiempo feliz” (This happy time). In the early 90s he began his career as a vocalist and tres player (an instrument similar to the guitar), and definitely in 1994 to pursue music as a profession under the pseudonym of Polo Montañez.

Thus, he enlivened the evening gatherings at the Moka Hotel at the Las Terrazas mountain community of.

Polo Montanez and his Career

At 44 he had more than 70 own songs, written by himself without any music instruction, because he had no musical training or knowledge other than those he learned hearing the sounds of the countryside.

In 1999 Polo Montañez becomes popular when he met in Havana with Jose da Silva, president of the Lusafrica, a French label, who after hearing his voice in three songs hired him for six years.

In 2000 he released his first musical production published in France called “Guajiro Natural” album from which the song “Un monton de estrellas” (A lot of stars) earned a gold record and a platinum in Colombia, where he sold over forty thousand copies.

A year later he recorded the song “Guitarra Mia,” which gave the name to his second album which was also published by the Lusafrica Record Company and it similarly achieved great musical success.

He received throughout his career numerous awards, among which it is worth mentioning Illustrious Son of Pamplona Plate (Spain), the Cubadisco Distinction by the biggest copies´ selling and Gold Disk in Cuba by selling over twenty thousand copies.

Relevant Data about Polo Montanez

In 2003 he was awarded a posthumous honour in Cubadisco for the Guitarra Mia album.

Five years later, an album released under the Batlle Artistic Productions Inc. Label, was launched with original songs never before released, of Polo Montanez’s live performances.

As a fitting tribute to this exceptional Cuban musician his home – located in Las Terrazas Community- was turned in in museum house in 2012, and receives hundreds of visits.

Luis Montañez, brother of Polo, currently in charge of the institution, from where not one day passes without hearing the music of this man who was immortalized forever in the hearts of Cubans.

Polo and his Death

On November 20th, 2002, while in a trip from Havana to San Cristobal his car collided with a truck in the area known as The Coronela.

Following the accident he was seriously injured and six days later, on November 26th, Polo Montañez died unfortunately.

His death left a great void and pain among all followers of his music, but his work was recorded in the history of Cuban popular music.

He was buried in the cemetery of the Candelaria Town in Artemisa.