Gregorio Hernández Ríos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinar del Río, Cuba
Havana, Cuba
El Goyo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gregorio Hernández Ríos |
| Born | 17 November 1936 Pinar del Río, Cuba |
| Died | 8 January 2012 (aged 75) Havana, Cuba |
| Genres | Rumba, Santería, Abakuá, Palo |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, dancer, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, claves, conga |
| Years active | c. 1960–2012 |
| Labels | EGREM, Bis, Soul Jazz |
Gregorio Hernández Ríos (17 November 1936 – 8 January 2012), known as El Goyo, was a Cuban rumba singer, dancer and percussionist.[1] A founding member of the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, he was also the leader of a Santería music ensemble, Grupo Oba-Ilú. He toured Europe and Latin America with various ensembles and recorded with Tata Güines, Alfredo Rodríguez and Jane Bunnett, among others.[2] For the collaborative album La rumba soy yo he received the Latin Grammy Award in 2001.[3] His album La rumba es cubana was nominated to the 2003 Premio Cubadisco in the Best Folk Album and Best Design categories, winning the latter. He has been described as one of the most important rumberos of contemporary Havana.[4]
El Goyo was also a teacher at the Instituto Superior de Arte, where he taught Afro-Cuban music.[2][3] He was the director of the Cuban Society of Percussionists (PERCUBA) for fifteen years.[3] Despite his academic commitments, he still performed as a street musician in the solares of Havana until his death.[2]