Music Metrics Vault

Polo Montañez

Data updated on 2025-04-19 08:44:06 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

421.4 million
Updated on 2025-04-19

Monthly listeners

1,614,680

Followers

119,049

Top Cities

  1. Mexico
    188,059 listeners
  2. Colombia
    117,052 listeners
  3. Mexico
    58,168 listeners
  4. Colombia
    53,979 listeners
  5. Peru
    Lima
    50,513 listeners

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
Un Montón De Estrellas
Un Montón De Estrellas
186,436,616 6:05 2000-03-14
Un Montón de Estrellas
Un Montón de Estrellas
186,436,616 6:04 2012-11-11
Si Se Enamora De Mi
Si Se Enamora De Mi
5,575,303 4:07 2000-03-14
Flor Pálida
Flor Pálida
5,547,420 2:46 2002-10-31
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
Un Montón De Estrellas - Montuno pop mix
3,538,343 4:49 2000-03-14
Amor E Distancia
Amor E Distancia
2,673,874 2:56 2004-01-01
Amor e Distancia
Amor e Distancia
2,673,874 2:56 2016-11-04
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
2,449,286 3:52 2000-03-14
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
1,701,402 3:59 2000-03-14
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
1,580,021 3:45 2000-03-14
Quien Será
Quien Será
1,366,251 5:23 2000-03-14
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
1,296,502 4:28 2000-03-14
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
1,195,434 4:02 2000-03-14
La Última Canción
La Última Canción
1,151,331 3:32 2002-10-31
Como Nunca Nadie
Como Nunca Nadie
1,087,073 3:15 2004-01-01
Columbia
Columbia
1,050,983 3:45 2002-10-31
Locura De Amor
Locura De Amor
962,686 3:43 2004-01-01
Locura de Amor
Locura de Amor
962,686 3:43 2016-11-04
Barca A La Deriba
Barca A La Deriba
909,664 3:11 2000-03-14
El Bien de los Dos
El Bien de los Dos
845,678 2:35 2002-10-31
Canten
Canten
834,173 5:58 2000-03-14
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
El Rincon de Mis Ansias
739,860 4:45 2002-10-31
Desde Abajo
Desde Abajo
701,900 4:02 2002-10-31
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
700,351 3:56 2000-03-14
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
687,818 3:32 2000-03-14
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
670,051 2:45 2002-10-31
Querido Amor
Querido Amor
558,626 3:09 2004-01-01
Puras Mentiras
Puras Mentiras
521,216 4:16 2002-10-31
Regresare
Regresare
500,784 2:37 2004-01-01
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
Yo Tengo Mi Babalao
489,704 4:21 2002-10-31
Si Yo Pudiera
Si Yo Pudiera
474,892 5:06 2002-10-31
Hay un Run Run
Hay un Run Run
418,420 3:33 2002-10-31
Apariencia
Apariencia
395,756 3:56 2002-10-31
Suave Y Divina
Suave Y Divina
393,031 5:25 2002-10-31
Siete Años
Siete Años
356,088 3:56 2004-01-01
Un Monton de Estrellas
Un Monton de Estrellas
350,328 5:11 2006-01-01
Le Sumba El Mango
Le Sumba El Mango
346,611 4:18 2002-10-31
Pueblo Mío
Pueblo Mío
331,597 4:55 2004-01-01
Pueblo Mio
Pueblo Mio
331,597 4:55 2016-11-04
Guitarra Mía
Guitarra Mía
285,889 2:45 2004-01-01
Guitarra Mia
Guitarra Mia
285,889 2:45 2016-11-04
Gente Loca
Gente Loca
263,288 3:31 2004-01-01
Homenaje A José Marti
Homenaje A José Marti
254,007 3:10 2004-01-01
Homenaje a José Martí
Homenaje a José Martí
254,007 3:10 2016-11-04
Con O Sin Ella
Con O Sin Ella
253,197 4:15 2004-01-01
Con o Sin Ella
Con o Sin Ella
253,197 4:15 2016-11-04
Monde Estrellas
Monde Estrellas
57,774 5:26 2017-12-08
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix)
57,011 3:52 2018-11-09
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
Un Montón de Estrellas (Mo Laudi Remix) - Radio Edit
55,868 3:36 2018-11-09
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
Un Monton de Estrellas - En Vivo
14,976 4:11 2015-10-09
Montón de Estrellas
Montón de Estrellas
12,622 3:53 2022-02-17
Como Será Mañana
Como Será Mañana
10,752 3:23 2024-10-03
Barca a la Deriba
Barca a la Deriba
10,358 3:42 2024-10-03
Si Fuera Mia
Si Fuera Mia
9,823 3:14 2024-10-03
Un Bolero
Un Bolero
8,345 4:37 2024-10-03
Si Se Enamora de Mi
Si Se Enamora de Mi
7,178 4:48 2024-10-03
Guajiro Natural
Guajiro Natural
6,856 4:30 2024-10-03
Donde Estará
Donde Estará
6,535 3:53 2024-10-03
Amanece el Nuevo Año
Amanece el Nuevo Año
6,362 4:45 2024-10-03
Mi Mejor Amiga
Mi Mejor Amiga
6,073 3:03 2024-10-03
Canten
Canten
5,990 5:11 2024-10-03
Quien Será
Quien Será
5,813 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]