He was gifted with an innate musicality and fluid tenor voice which he colored and phrased with great expressivity. Moré was a master of all the genres of Cuban music, including son montuno, mambo, guaracha, guajira, cha cha cha, afro, canción, guaguancó, and bolero.
The eldest of eighteen children, Moré was born in Santa Isabel de las Lajas in the former province of Las Villas, in central Cuba. In 1936, at age seventeen, he left Las Lajas for Havana. His first breakthrough was winning a radio competition. He then joined Trío Matamoros (later known as Conjunto Matamoros), with which he remained several years, making a number of recordings.
In 1945 Moré went with Conjunto Matamoros to Mexico, where he performed in two of the most famous cabarets of the age, the Montparnasse and the Río Rosa. He made several recordings. Conjunto Matamoros returned to Havana, while Moré remained in Mexico, where he made several recordings for RCA Victor, together with the orchestra of Mariano Mercerón: "Me voy pal pueblo" y "Desdichado". He also recorded with Pérez Prado: "Bonito y sabroso", "Mucho corazón", "Pachito el ché", and "Ensalada de mambo". He also recorded "Dolor carabalí", which Moré considered his best composition recorded with Pérez Prado, and one he never wanted to re-record.
At the end of 1950, Moré returned to Cuba. He was a star in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Puerto Rico, but virtually unknown on the island. His first Cuban recording was "Bonito y Sabroso". Moré eventually decided to start his own orchestra, which he called Banda Gigante. In the years 1954 and 1955, Moré's group became immensely popular. In 1956 and 1957, it toured Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Panama, Mexico and the United States, where the group played at the Oscar ceremonies.
He died in 1963 at age 43 of cirrhosis. An estimated 100,000 fans attended his funeral.
En El Tiempo De La Colonia
Beny Moré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Repiqueteaban tambor
En el tiempo de la colonia
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Ay mi dios
Que tiempo aquello
En el que los negros
Repiqueteaban tambor
En el tiempo de la colonia
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Repiqueteaban tambor
En el tiempo de la colonia
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Repiqueteaban tambor
En el tiempo de la colonia
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Repiqueteaban tambor
Ay mi dios, dios
Que tiempo aquello
En el que los negros
Repiqueteaban tambor
En el tiempo de la colonia
Tiempo de Senseribo
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Repiqueteaban tambor
Repiqueteaban tambor
Repiqueteaban tambor
Repiqueteaban tambor
The song "En El Tiempo De La Colonia" by Beny More is a tribute to the rich cultural history of colonial times in Senseribo, a region known for its Afro-Cuban heritage. The lyrics describe the time when African slaves were imported to Cuba to work on sugar plantations, and how they brought with them their own culture, music, and rhythms. The repetition of the line "En el tiempo de la colonia, tiempo de Senseribo" highlights the nostalgia and admiration for this era, while the phrase "repiqueteaban tambor" emphasizes the importance of the drums and percussion in the music of this time.
The lyrics also convey a sense of awe and reverence for the strength and resilience of the African people who were forced to endure slavery and yet were able to create a vibrant and meaningful culture that still influences Cuban music today. The phrase "Ay mi dios, que tiempo aquello" expresses this sentiment and serves as a reminder of the hardships that were overcome in order to create the unique cultural heritage that Beny More celebrates in the song.
Overall, "En El Tiempo De La Colonia" is a highly nostalgic and celebratory tribute to a cherished period in Cuba's history. The song captures the essence of the time when African culture was fused with Cuban influences to create a music that is now known and loved around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
En el tiempo de la colonia
During the colonial period
Tiempo de Senseribo
Time of Senseribo (possibly a reference to a place or event)
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Time when the Congolese slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Ay mi dios
Oh my God
Que tiempo aquello
What a time it was
En el que los negros
When the black slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
En el tiempo de la colonia
During the colonial period
Tiempo de Senseribo
Time of Senseribo (possibly a reference to a place or event)
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Time when the Congolese slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
En el tiempo de la colonia
During the colonial period
Tiempo de Senseribo
Time of Senseribo (possibly a reference to a place or event)
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Time when the Congolese slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
En el tiempo de la colonia
During the colonial period
Tiempo de Senseribo
Time of Senseribo (possibly a reference to a place or event)
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Time when the Congolese slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Ay mi dios, dios
Oh my God, God
Que tiempo aquello
What a time it was
En el que los negros
When the black slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
En el tiempo de la colonia
During the colonial period
Tiempo de Senseribo
Time of Senseribo (possibly a reference to a place or event)
Tiempo en que los negros Congo
Time when the Congolese slaves
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Repiqueteaban tambor
Played the drums rhythmically
Writer(s): Mario Recio
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.