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Polo Montañez

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Data updated on 2025-08-14 13:40:14 UTC
The news of the death of Cuban singer Polo Montañez on November 26, 2002, as a result of an automobile accident shocked and grieved fans of Latin music around the world. In Havana, where fans of the self-proclaimed "Guajiro Natural" -- a Homegrown Country Boy -- had been listening anxiously to hourly radio bulletins updating his condition, the loss registered as a national tragedy.

Born Fernando Borrego Linares in the rural province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on June 5, 1955, his nickname -- adopted when Montañez was still a coal worker and truck driver playing music as an off-hours escape -- reflects the green hills southeast of Havana where Montañez lived all of his life. Those same hills also formed the backdrop for his infectious brand of guajiro music, marked by what he called "clean, bright, precise" lyrics about love and friendship; a freewheeling mix of traditional island dance rhythms, including bachata, son, bolero, and guaracha; catchy tunes and arpeggiated interludes played on the Cuban tres; and soaring above it all, Montañez's raspy, sun-splotched tenor, frequently compared to that of the legendary Beny Moré.

Discovery by José da Silva of the French label Lusafrica transformed Montañez from just another musically inclined hayseed playing at a tourist resort into an international superstar almost overnight. "Un Montón de Estrellas," the first single from his 2000 release, Guajiro Natural, was the bittersweet lament of a man who had been so far gone that he'd have flown up to heaven to bring down "a mountain of stars" if that's what his fickle love had wanted. Those who weren't singing along to the call-and-response choral finale were simply too busy dancing, and in the end a great many converts to guajiro music were won.

Guajiro Natural went platinum almost immediately in Colombia and was met with similar success in Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and Mexico. By 2002, Montañez and his band were selling out shows from one tip of Cuba to the other, including a performance in Havana to 100,000 screaming fans. That summer, the follow-up album, Guitarra Mía, was released. Montañez was about to go to Mexico to promote it when the accident occurred, which also gravely wounded his wife and killed her son.

A posthumous album called Memoria, made up mostly of new material, was released in June of 2004. ~ Jenny Gage, Rovi

Total plays

449.0 million
Updated on 2025-08-14

Monthly listeners

1,767,106

Followers

148,211

Top Cities

  1. Mexico
    73,370 listeners
  2. Colombia
    123,998 listeners
  3. Mexico
    61,045 listeners
  4. Mexico
    81,413 listeners
  5. Mexico
    57,547 listeners

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
Un Montón De Estrellas
Un Montón De Estrellas
198,944,847 6:05 2000-03-14
Un Montón de Estrellas
Un Montón de Estrellas
198,944,847 6:04 2012-11-11
Si Se Enamora De Mi
Si Se Enamora De Mi
5,943,278 4:07 2000-03-14
Flor Pálida
Flor Pálida
5,779,996 2:46 2002-10-31
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
3,653,383 4:49 2000-03-14
Amor E Distancia
Amor E Distancia
2,762,864 2:56 2004-01-01
Amor e Distancia
Amor e Distancia
2,762,864 2:56 2016-11-04
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2,587,439 3:52 2000-03-14
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
1,817,744 3:59 2000-03-14
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
1,685,427 3:45 2000-03-14
Quien Será
Quien Será
1,427,775 5:23 2000-03-14
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
1,358,094 4:28 2000-03-14
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
1,280,334 4:02 2000-03-14
La Última Canción
La Última Canción
1,239,383 3:32 2002-10-31
Como Nunca Nadie
Como Nunca Nadie
1,153,651 3:15 2004-01-01
Columbia
Columbia
1,111,835 3:45 2002-10-31
Locura De Amor
Locura De Amor
1,025,178 3:43 2004-01-01
Locura de Amor
Locura de Amor
1,025,178 3:43 2016-11-04
Barca A La Deriba
Barca A La Deriba
949,768 3:11 2000-03-14
El Bien de los Dos
El Bien de los Dos
882,279 2:35 2002-10-31
Canten
Canten
880,999 5:58 2000-03-14
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
794,063 4:45 2002-10-31
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
735,517 3:56 2000-03-14
Desde Abajo
Desde Abajo
734,739 4:02 2002-10-31
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
723,522 3:32 2000-03-14
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
702,858 2:45 2002-10-31
Querido Amor
Querido Amor
594,857 3:09 2004-01-01
Puras Mentiras
Puras Mentiras
547,680 4:16 2002-10-31
Regresare
Regresare
533,460 2:37 2004-01-01
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
523,671 4:21 2002-10-31
Si Yo Pudiera
Si Yo Pudiera
514,218 5:06 2002-10-31
Hay un Run Run
Hay un Run Run
449,241 3:33 2002-10-31
Apariencia
Apariencia
419,953 3:56 2002-10-31
Suave Y Divina
Suave Y Divina
419,372 5:25 2002-10-31
Un Monton de Estrellas
Un Monton de Estrellas
369,245 5:11 2006-01-01
Siete Años
Siete Años
367,859 3:56 2004-01-01
Le Sumba El Mango
Le Sumba El Mango
367,291 4:18 2002-10-31
Pueblo Mío
Pueblo Mío
353,980 4:55 2004-01-01
Pueblo Mio
Pueblo Mio
353,980 4:55 2016-11-04
Guitarra Mía
Guitarra Mía
296,203 2:45 2004-01-01
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
296,203 2:45 2016-11-04
Gente Loca
Gente Loca
273,880 3:31 2004-01-01
Homenaje A José Marti
Homenaje A José Marti
263,371 3:10 2004-01-01
Homenaje a José Martí
Homenaje a José Martí
263,371 3:10 2016-11-04
Con O Sin Ella
Con O Sin Ella
262,583 4:15 2004-01-01
Con o Sin Ella
Con o Sin Ella
262,583 4:15 2016-11-04
Monde Estrellas
Monde Estrellas
60,952 5:26 2017-12-08
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
57,891 3:52 2018-11-09
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
56,278 3:36 2018-11-09
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
15,138 4:11 2015-10-09
Barca a la Deriba
Barca a la Deriba
14,414 3:42 2024-10-03
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
14,252 3:23 2024-10-03
Montón de Estrellas
Montón de Estrellas
13,475 3:53 2022-02-17
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
13,157 3:14 2024-10-03
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
11,076 4:37 2024-10-03
Si Se Enamora de Mi
Si Se Enamora de Mi
10,513 4:48 2024-10-03
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
9,743 4:30 2024-10-03
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
9,432 3:53 2024-10-03
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
8,774 4:45 2024-10-03
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
8,654 3:03 2024-10-03
Canten
Canten
8,433 5:11 2024-10-03
Quien Será
Quien Será
8,242 6:15 2024-10-03
Un Montón de Estrellas Re
Un Montón de Estrellas Re
< 1000 3:36 2018-11-09
Un Montón de Estrellas Mo
Un Montón de Estrellas Mo
< 1000 3:51 2018-11-09

New releases

Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2024-10-03
[Montañez Record]
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
2018-11-09
[Lusafrica]
The Lusafrica Series: Guajiro Natural / Guitarra Mía
The Lusafrica Series: Guajiro Natural / Guitarra Mía
2018-11-09
[Lusafrica]
Estrellas
Estrellas
2018-11-09
[Polo Montañez]
Memoria
Memoria
2016-11-04
[El Gallo Productions]
Memoria
Memoria
2004-01-01
[Lusafrica]
Memoria
Memoria
2004-01-01
[Lusafrica]
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
2002-12-05
[Lusafrica]
Guitarra Mía
Guitarra Mía
2002-10-31
[Lusafrica]
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2000-10-31
[Lusafrica]
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2000-03-14
[Lusafrica]