Chucho Valdés goes into exile and accuses the Cuban regime of dirtying his name

MIAMI.-The renowned Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes has declared himself “exiled” in a recent interview with journalist Juan Manuel Cao, where he again denied his alleged signature on a controversial 2003 letter that supported the execution of three young people accused of trying to hijack a boat in Havana.

“I would never sign something like that. It’s one thing to have your name put in a newspaper without your consent to tarnish your prestige and career in such a nefarious way. It is very sad that there is still a doubt about this,” said Valdés. The musician clarified that, at the time of the events, he was on tour in Miami as part of his usual spring presentations.

According to him, while he was in a hotel in the United States, his friend Raúl Artiles informed him that his name and photo appeared in the newspaper. Granma as one of the intellectuals and artists who supported the execution. “I was destroyed. It’s the worst thing that has happened to me in my life. It is very sad that they use you in that way,” he expressed forcefully.

Valdés assured that his father, Bebo Valdés, his mother, and those closest to him always knew that the accusation was false. However, he regrets that for some the doubt still persists and he cannot “erase that” from his career.

This is not the first time that Chucho Valdés denies his participation in the controversial letter. In July 2021, after the historic July 11 protests in Cuba, also denied having signed the document.

The letter, which generated great controversy, gathered the signatures of prominent figures of Cuban culture, such as Silvio Rodríguez, Alicia Alonso, Omara Portuondo, Amaury Pérez, Roberto Fabelo and Eusebio Leal. It supported the execution of Lorenzo Enrique Copello Castillo, Bárbaro Leodán Sevilla García and Jorge Luis Martínez Isaac, who tried to hijack the boat. Baraguá protest (known as “Lanchita de Regla”) without causing physical injury to any person.

Chucho Valdés, born in 1941 in Quivicán, province of Havana, is one of the most important musicians in Cuba. Winner of 12 GRAMMY Awards (7 GRAMMY and 5 Latin GRAMMY), he has been recognized with the Musical Excellence Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and has been inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

From a very young age, Valdés showed an exceptional talent for music, influenced by his father, the legendary Bebo Valdés, and his mother, Pilar Rodríguez, who was a singer and piano teacher. His career as a pianist, composer, arranger and conductor has established him as a key figure in international music.