Music Metrics Vault

Polo Montañez

Data updated on 2025-03-28 17:21:10 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

Genres

: son cubano salsa salsa romantica merengue

Total plays

422.0 million
Updated on 2025-03-28

Monthly listeners

1,682,996

Followers

113,593

Top Cities

  1. Mexico
    184,492 listeners
  2. Colombia
    121,288 listeners
  3. Mexico
    61,846 listeners
  4. Mexico
    54,516 listeners
  5. Colombia
    55,211 listeners

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
Un Montón De Estrellas
Un Montón De Estrellas
184,097,486 6:05 2000-03-14
Un Montón de Estrellas
Un Montón de Estrellas
183,993,194 6:04 2012-11-11
Si Se Enamora De Mi
Si Se Enamora De Mi
5,508,680 4:07 2000-03-14
Flor Pálida
Flor Pálida
5,499,249 2:46 2002-10-31
Un Montón De Estrellas
Un Montón De Estrellas
3,512,350 4:47 2004-01-01
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
3,511,147 4:49 2000-03-14
Amor E Distancia
Amor E Distancia
2,658,808 2:56 2004-01-01
Amor e Distancia
Amor e Distancia
2,658,808 2:56 2016-11-04
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2,425,020 3:54 2004-03-04
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2,423,997 3:52 2000-03-14
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
1,678,871 3:59 2000-03-14
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
1,558,119 3:45 2000-03-14
Quien Será
Quien Será
1,353,803 5:23 2000-03-14
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
1,283,594 4:28 2000-03-14
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
1,178,501 4:02 2000-03-14
La Última Canción
La Última Canción
1,132,904 3:32 2002-10-31
Como Nunca Nadie
Como Nunca Nadie
1,073,169 3:15 2004-01-01
Columbia
Columbia
1,039,869 3:45 2002-10-31
Locura De Amor
Locura De Amor
948,036 3:43 2004-01-01
Locura de Amor
Locura de Amor
948,036 3:43 2016-11-04
Barca A La Deriba
Barca A La Deriba
900,099 3:11 2000-03-14
El Bien de los Dos
El Bien de los Dos
838,485 2:35 2002-10-31
Canten
Canten
824,365 5:58 2000-03-14
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
729,982 4:45 2002-10-31
Desde Abajo
Desde Abajo
695,730 4:02 2002-10-31
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
692,994 3:56 2000-03-14
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
680,549 3:32 2000-03-14
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
663,764 2:45 2002-10-31
Querido Amor
Querido Amor
551,466 3:09 2004-01-01
Puras Mentiras
Puras Mentiras
516,025 4:16 2002-10-31
Regresare
Regresare
493,624 2:37 2004-01-01
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
483,576 4:21 2002-10-31
Si Yo Pudiera
Si Yo Pudiera
467,198 5:06 2002-10-31
Hay un Run Run
Hay un Run Run
412,887 3:33 2002-10-31
Apariencia
Apariencia
390,838 3:56 2002-10-31
Suave Y Divina
Suave Y Divina
388,080 5:25 2002-10-31
Siete Años
Siete Años
353,797 3:56 2004-01-01
Un Monton de Estrellas
Un Monton de Estrellas
348,307 5:11 2006-01-01
Le Sumba El Mango
Le Sumba El Mango
342,585 4:18 2002-10-31
Pueblo Mío
Pueblo Mío
327,282 4:55 2004-01-01
Pueblo Mio
Pueblo Mio
327,282 4:55 2016-11-04
Guitarra Mía
Guitarra Mía
283,560 2:45 2004-01-01
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
283,560 2:45 2016-11-04
Gente Loca
Gente Loca
261,196 3:31 2004-01-01
Homenaje A José Marti
Homenaje A José Marti
252,124 3:10 2004-01-01
Homenaje a José Martí
Homenaje a José Martí
252,124 3:10 2016-11-04
Con O Sin Ella
Con O Sin Ella
251,363 4:15 2004-01-01
Con o Sin Ella
Con o Sin Ella
251,363 4:15 2016-11-04
Monde Estrellas
Monde Estrellas
57,144 5:26 2017-12-08
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
56,863 3:52 2018-11-09
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
55,808 3:36 2018-11-09
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
14,940 4:11 2015-10-09
Montón de Estrellas
Montón de Estrellas
12,477 3:53 2022-02-17
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
10,098 3:23 2024-10-03
Barca a la Deriba
Barca a la Deriba
9,603 3:42 2024-10-03
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
9,215 3:14 2024-10-03
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
7,903 4:37 2024-10-03
Si Se Enamora de Mi
Si Se Enamora de Mi
6,599 4:48 2024-10-03
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
6,347 4:30 2024-10-03
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
6,005 3:53 2024-10-03
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
5,940 4:45 2024-10-03
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
5,608 3:03 2024-10-03
Canten
Canten
5,595 5:11 2024-10-03
Quien Será
Quien Será
5,408 6:15 2024-10-03

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]
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]