![]() ![]() More recordings followed and a superstar had been born. As soon as the single was released, radio DJs began playing it, and audiences loved it so much that the single sold 30,000 copies in a few days. Duarte introduced him to his partner Guillermo Álvarez Guedes, an actor turned record mogul, and together they recorded Rolando in a bolero titled "Mentiras tuyas". With the help of musician and arranger Ernesto Duarte, Rolando defined a singing style that, at the beginning was controversial, but it would prove to be extremely commercial. Slowly, Rolando became aware he had a singing voice with a unique sound, and decided he could express himself better as a vocalist. In 1946 he decided to try his luck in Havana and became the percussionist of the Hermanos Palau Orchestra, moving later to the popular Beny Moré's Banda Gigante in which he played "timbales" and sang background vocals. As a teenager, he was good enough to play with the Municipal Band of Santa Clara and the famed Arcaño Orchestra. ![]() At age 9, Rolando taught himself how to play percussion and it was obvious he had a great ear for music and Afro Cuban rhythms. Cuban singer, musician, and entertainer who left an indelible mark in the history of Cuban popular music.
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