Antonio Machín AKA the Spanish Nat King Cole: Broke Records & Barriers
Antonio Machín affectionately referred to as the Spanish Nat King Cole, is one of the greatest Cuban singers of all time. Machin brought international recognition to the bolero, romantic ballads, and popular Afro-Cuban music. His music and presence transcended racial and socio-economic barriers cultivating a love for Cuban music felt around the world. Machin was born in Sagua la Grande, Cuba, in 1903, to José Lugo Padrón, an immigrant from Galicia, Spain and Leoncia Machín, an Afro-Cuban woman. Like many Cuban youths, he started working at an early age to help his family scrape ends meat. Despite this hardship, he still managed to do what he loved and started performing at his church when he was just eight years old.
By the time he was 20 years old, he moved to Havana to pursue a music career. Shortly after the big move, he became a popular draw in the city nightclubs and theaters.
A real groundbreaker, Machin was the first Afro-Cuban person to sing with Don Aspiazu’s orchestra—considered the best on the island—in the very elite Casino Nacional. In 1929, he made his first recordings with Aspiazu, “Áquellos hojos verdes” (Those Green Eyes) and the very popular “El Manisero” (The Peanut Vendor), composed by Moisés Simons (1889-1945), a leading Cuban composer.
Vintage at its best. Antonio Machín
Machin’s career grew when he went to New York with Aspiazu and his orchestra and recorded “El Manisero” for RCA Victor. That move changed the game—El Manisero became a national and international phenomenon, selling ONE MILLION copies in the 1930s.
Machin was a prolific musician. He made 150 recordings for RCA during the four years he lived in Manhattan and also formed his own bands: “Orquesta Machín” and the “Cuarteto Machín.” His international fandom permeated Hispanic, European, and American communities.
Machín even performed for President Franklin Roosevelt at the White House! Machin was truly an international icon. He later moved to live and work in Spain where he recorded “Angelitos Negros” (Little Black Angels). This song debuted in 1947 at the Teatro Novedades in Barcelona and sold 47,000 copies between 1947 and 1950. Angelitos Negros became one of the biggest successes of the Spanish recording industry in postwar Spain!
Last fun fact: The lyrics from “Angelitos Negros” are from a poem converted to an original song by Andrés Eloy Blanco.
