Born Omár Rubén ‘Negro’ Rada Silva on July 16, 1943, in Montevideo, Uruguay, the
percussionist, singer, and composer is better known by his stage name Rubén
Rada. As one of his home country’s most cherished songwriters, he is known for
combining pop, rock, and native Uruguayan styles into a genre called candombe
beat. He has also been referred to as one of South America’s finest vocalists.
Rubén Rada formed the band El Kinto Conjunto in 1965, which was the first band
in Uruguay to combine the beat group sound with Latin American styles. He
pursued a solo career after the success ...