Un Solo Pueblo

Formed in 1975 in Caracas, Venezuela where they are based; Un Solo Pueblo is a veteran band that has explored all aspects of the country's music, with musical influences from all over the Hispanic Caribbean. Their production span includes more than 18 albums and inclusions in more than 7 compilations. The group comprises of more than fifteen members including Francisco Pacheco and Ismael Querales to name a few. Their founder was Florentino Querales and died on April 7th, 2009. Below as Stated by David Cox in 2004- "Justifiable classics of Un Solo Pueblo in Venezuela include "Viva Venezuela" and "Woman del Callao." The momentum of the group's music never stops from start to finish, with several singers taking the lead in turn. The band finds a groove somewhere in the salsa-meringue continuum, with elements of Cuban son, cumbia and vallenato music, and local influences as well: lots of percussion, horns, bass and an intense, fast-moving beat. The lyrics reflect the intense love of country, "mi patria querida" shared by Venezuelans. The songs also distill a quarter century of touring the country -- nation building if you will -- and developing their repertoire from songs found in different regions of the country from the deserts to the mountains and plains (llanos) to the coastal areas. "Woman del Callao," for instance, is a calipso (note the local spelling) from an outlying province exposed to Trinidadian influences, containing the hybrid Spanish-English lyric: "tiene mucho hot/tiene mucho tempo/tiene mucho down/woman del Callao," a lyric known to practically everyone in Venezuela. "Caracas Caracas" (which can also be heard on The Rough Guide to Venezuelan Music) is also a classic, almost an anthem; as is "Viva Venezuela," which recounts Simon Bolivar's liberation of much of South America from the Spanish Empire. "Viva Venezuela, mi patria querida/quien la liberto mi hermano fue Simon Bolivar." " Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.