Daniel Santos

Born into poverty in Puerto Rico, Daniel Santos became one of the most influential singers and songwriters in Latin and South America during the middle of the 20th century. Santos was born in 1916 in Santurce, but he moved to New York in the mid-'30s. Soon he was performing and recording with the Pedro Flores Quartet, with whom he recorded most of his early hits: "Tú Serás Mía," "Venganza," "Esperanza Inútil," "Perdón," "Irresistible," and the definitive version of Flores' best composition, "Despedida" (an influence on author Gabriel García Márquez). After serving during World War II, Santos wrote and recorded much patriotic material, and spent time allied with Cuba until growing wary of the revolutionary movement by 1961. He continued to perform across the Americas, singing his most famous songs and relating many anecdotes concerning his wild private life.