ANTONIO CABAN VALE 'EL TOPO' Boricua Hasta El Pelo.wmv Video

Singer, songwriter and poet, affectionately known as "El Topo", was born on 22 November 1942 in the small town of Moca, on the western end of Puerto Rico. He moved to Rio Piedras, in the metropolitan area of San Juan, in 1961, to pursue his studies at the University of Puerto Rico. It was there that Cabán Vale first became known as "El Topo" and where he published his first poems in a student literary review called "Guajana". In 1966 he graduated with a BA in arts and social science and began working as a teacher in the public school system. Wishing to touch people through his poetry, he began to write music during the 1970's to reach more people. Cabán even formed a band called "Taoné" that performed his compositions of poetry as music. Cabán was also a performer in that group and gained valuable experience as a singer during that time. As the "nueva canción" style washed over Puerto Rico, Cabán became a well noted composer. His simple yet inspirational verses enchanted listeners. Songs such as "Flor de amapola", "Qué bonita luna", and "Solina, Solina", helped give impetus to the nueva canción style of popular music, as well as to his own career and fame as a composer. His romantic melodies such as "Canción de los amantes" were popularized in many different versions.