Musician, actor and politician are just some of the activities of Panama’s Ruben Blades, winner of this year’s Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album.
Blades was born and raised in Panama City and began his musical career as a singer and songwriter in a variety of Latin combos, applying the influences he acquired from listening to 50’s doo-wop groups. This was happening while he studied law, and when the University of Panama was closed by the government, Blades made his first trip to the US. Although he graduated after the school was reopened and he received his degree, Blades chose to move to Florida, joining his parents who were exiled there.
He moved on to New York, taking a job in the mailroom at Latin record label Fania. A year later he was in Ray Barretto’s band as featured vocalist and was also playing with Willie Colon. The six year association with Colon was productive. 1978’s Siembra became the largest selling salsa record of its day and most of the tracks became hits in one Latin country or another.
Ruben Blades continued his musical career while also adding acting to his career choices. He appeared in Paul Simon’s first Broadway musical The Capeman and many movies including Once Upon A Time In Mexico. In 1994 he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the presidency of Panama but in a show of his popularity, received 17% of the vote. He has expressed a desire to run again.
Blades recent run in the AMC series Fear the Walking Dead has come to an end which he describes as a choice to better manage his time “There’s a moment when you realize that you have more past than future. So you have to organize your time,” he says, reflecting on his character and the issue of getting older. “Once you realize you’re a certain age, you have to understand your mortality and deal with the fact that you don’t have the time that you had when you were 20.”
This year’s Grammy is Blades tenth, stretching back to 1987.
