In those days the big U.S. labels didn't have any particular interest in the Latin market. Ruben Blades More Quotes by Ruben Blades More Quotes From Ruben Blades I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance. Ruben Blades ignorance education thinking Everyone comes back. It makes no difference how far we wander, we always have our country, our land, in our souls and our minds. Ruben Blades differences land country People are a lot smarter than anyone gives them credit for being. Ruben Blades credit giving people So that I saw music as a way of documenting realities from the urban cities of Latin America. Ruben Blades cities latin reality And, he'd seen me in Panama, and he talked about maybe doing something in New York so I hooked it up when I came here and I recorded in 1969 my first album with Pete Rodriguez. Ruben Blades albums new-york firsts What I do not accept is the fact that so many people's talents were ripped off. Ruben Blades talent facts people There was no television, so the radio provided you with everything. Ruben Blades radio television So that when I came to New York again, it was, I'm not too sure right now, but it was '74 or '75. I went to Miami in '74 and then I came to New York, I think, at the end of '74. Ruben Blades miami new-york thinking We had something to say. Whenever we played, people didn't dance, they listened. Ruben Blades dance inspirational people So that when I came from Panama... my family was exiled in 1973 and they went to Miami. Ruben Blades panama my-family miami I think in New York we had respect and we would pretty much fill up the places where we went, but I never got the sense that we really were Number 1 here in New York among the Latin crowds. Ruben Blades new-york latin thinking Yes, I was going to law school and it was closed in '69. Ruben Blades law-school law school So I went to Miami in '74 with my family and while I was there it became obvious that we needed money and we needed to do something, because my family, we left without anything really, and we didn't have any money to begin with. Ruben Blades obvious my-family miami Anywhere you had a commerce center, you had a lot of music. Ruben Blades commerce So that in 1974, when I graduated as a lawyer, I figured I'm not going to be a lawyer under a military regime. Ruben Blades lawyer regimes military There was a lot of stuff happening in Havana that was being heard and appreciated by New Orleans musicians because of this situation. And vice versa. Ruben Blades musician new-orleans vices Every band had their own distinctive sound, but it was pretty much dancing music and rhythmic music with a tremendous emphasis on copying the Cuban models. Ruben Blades copying dancing sound But, when I was about thirteen, I began to sort of sing in my neighborhood. Ruben Blades thirteen neighborhood Rock is young music, it is youth oriented. It just speaks for a generation. Ruben Blades youth rocks generations I was a kid, and I remember my mother singing. She was also a radio soap opera actress, but my mother sang. Ruben Blades singing mother kids
