Company Segundo

Legendary Cuban guitarist Compay Segundo was born in 1907; collaborating with the likes of Sindo Garay, Miguel Matamoros, and Benny Moré, he emerged as one of the most respected musicians of the pre-revolution era, and in the late '20s invented the armónico, a guitar customized with a double third string to fuse the tonal qualities of the traditional Cuban tres guitar and its Spanish counterpart. In his early nineties, he attracted worldwide attention for his contributions to Ry Cooder's wildly successful Buena Vista Social Club album in 1998, and released a number of solo albums -- both new and reissues -- over the ensuing years. Compay Segundo died of kidney failure at his home in Havana on July 13, 2003. ~ Jason Ankeny