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.
Manzanillo
Beny Moré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voy a pescar la luna en el mar
A la bahía de Manzanillo
Voy a pescar la luna en el mar
Noche de luna de Manzanillo
Brillo de plata sobre la mar
Del blanco oleaje se oye el chasquido
De una gaviota se oye el graznido
La fuerte brisa silba al pasar
Cruje el velamen de un viejo barco
Con un gemido y un sollozar
Para las novias de los marinos
De Manzanillo quiero cantar
Porque en silencio siempre se mueren
Que ven un barco lejos zarpar
A la bahía (ay, mira, nena, como dicen)
De manzanillo (ay, negra, a la bahía a la bahía, a la bahía)
A la bahía
De Manzanillo (allá por Manzanillo, en la bahía yo quiero gozar una novia que tengo en el mar
A la bahía
De Manzanillo (ay, mira cosa buena, como me gusta, como me gusta gozar)
A la bahía (en Manzanillo se baila el son)
De Manzanillo (en Manzanillo se baila el son, caballero mira que son más retozón)
A la Bahía
De Manzanillo (ay, a la bahía de Manzanillo, de Manzanillo, de manzanillo yo bailo el son)
Eh
A la bahía
De Manzanillo (mira, nena, como dice Manzanillo, manzanillo mi son que sabroso)
A la bahía (a la bahía)
De Manzanillo (a la bahía de Manzanillo cosa buena, como dice, como se baila, como se baila el son)
A la Bahía (a la Bahía)
De Manzanillo (a la bahía, a la bahía, a la bahía, a la bahía bailo mi son)
A la bahía
De manzanillo (ay, la bahía cosa buena, mira nena linda, como bailo mi son, qué rico pescao)
The lyrics to "Manzanillo" by Beny More are a celebration of the beauty of the bay of Manzanillo, a small port on the southern coast of Cuba. The singer describes his intention to fish for the moon in the sea, and his appreciation of the night sky and sea shimmering with silver light. He also notes the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the cries of seagulls, and the creaking of an old ship's rigging. The song praises the women left behind by the sailors who depart from the port, as they silently watch their lovers sail away.
Beyond this simple description, the lyrics of "Manzanillo" also capture something of the romance and longing associated with seafaring life in Cuba. The song suggests that the bay of Manzanillo and the sailors who depart from it are part of a larger narrative of Cuban history and identity, and that they are emblematic of the island's rich cultural heritage.
Overall, "Manzanillo" is a beautiful and lyrical tribute to a beloved Cuban port, the sailors who call it home, and the women who wait for them to return.
Line by Line Meaning
A la bahía de Manzanillo
I am going to the bay of Manzanillo
Voy a pescar la luna en el mar
I am going to catch the moon in the sea
Noche de luna de Manzanillo
Night of the moon in Manzanillo
Brillo de plata sobre la mar
Shimmer of silver on the sea
Del blanco oleaje se oye el chasquido
You can hear the sound of the white waves
Al detenerlo el litoral
When it hits the shore
De una gaviota se oye el graznido
You can hear the seagull's squawk
La fuerte brisa silba al pasar
The strong breeze whistles as it goes by
Cruje el velamen de un viejo barco
The sail of an old ship creaks
Con un gemido y un sollozar
With a groan and a sob
Para las novias de los marinos
For the sailors' girlfriends
De Manzanillo quiero cantar
I want to sing about Manzanillo
Porque en silencio siempre se mueren
Because they always die in silence
Que ven un barco lejos zarpar
That see a ship sailing far away
Ay, mira, nena, como dicen
Oh, look, baby, how they say it
Ay, negra, a la Bahía a la Bahía a la Bahía
Oh, girl, to the bay, to the bay, to the bay
Allá por Manzanillo, en la bahía
There in Manzanillo, in the bay
Yo quiero gozar una novia que tengo en el mar
I want to enjoy a girlfriend I have in the sea
En Manzanillo se baila el son
In Manzanillo, they dance the son
Caballero mira que son más retozón
Gentlemen, look how lively they are
Ay, a la bahía de Manzanillo
Oh, to the bay of Manzanillo
De manzanillo yo bailo el son
In Manzanillo, I dance the son
Como dice, como me gusta gozar
As it says, how I like to enjoy
Mira nena linda, como bailo mi son
Look, pretty girl, how I dance my son
Qué rico pescao
What tasty fish
Writer(s): Ramon Cabrera Argote
Contributed by Grace E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.