María Teresa Vera was one of the defining voices of Cuban trova. She sang, played guitar, and composed, and her duo with Rafael Zequeira was among the most recorded trova acts of its time.
Early Life in Guanajay
Vera was born on February 6, 1895, in Guanajay. Her mother, a woman of color, worked as a servant for the wealthy Aramburu family and sang Yoruba songs to her as a child. Vera showed musical ability early, making instruments out of whatever objects were at hand.
Her father, a Spanish soldier, disappeared when she was young. The Aramburu family took an interest in her and saw to her schooling, an opportunity few girls of her background had.
Debut and Manuel Corona
Vera made her debut in 1911, at 16, at the Teatro Politeama Grande in Havana. She sang Manuel Corona’s criolla “Mercedes” with Corona himself accompanying her. He became her mentor, teaching her guitar and the craft of composing and performing trova.
The Zequeira Duo
In 1916 Vera formed a duo with Rafael Zequeira, and it became the partnership that established her. The two performed in Cuba and traveled to New York several times to record, appearing at the Apollo Theater there in 1918. By Zequeira’s death in 1924, they had made more than a hundred recordings, most of which have not survived. In 1922 Vera returned to New York with Corona and signed with Victor.
After Zequeira
After Zequeira’s death, Vera performed both solo and with other musicians. In 1926 she formed a new duo with Miguelito García, and she also led her own group, the Sexteto Occidente, which recorded in New York. In the mid-1930s, she started her longest partnership with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, who performed regularly on Cuban radio for over twenty-five years. Through all of it she stayed with trova, even as the son took over the popular market, until illness forced her to retire in 1962.
“Veinte años”
Vera composed less than some of her contemporaries, but Guillermina Aramburu’s lyrics to her habanera “Veinte años” made it one of the lasting standards of Cuban song, and people still sing it in Cuba and abroad.
Death and Legacy
Vera died in Havana on December 17, 1965, at 70. Fidel Castro arranged for a car to carry her body to Guanajay, where her hometown held a tribute to her.
The next article in this series covers Teresa "Teté" García Caturla, the golden voice of Remedios.