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Pedro Flores
Best known for the ballads and boleros he composed, Pedro Flores Cordova was born March 9, 1894, in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. He was one of 12 children in a very poor family, and when he was nine years old, his father Julian died. Pedro, an athletic boy who enjoyed playing baseball at school, went to work to help support his family. He continued his education, graduating from high school and then the University of Puerto Rico. He spent five years as a teacher in small rural towns in the southeast part of the island, then worked as a foreman at a sugar mill for a year on the island of Vieques before being inducted into the U.S. military. He did clerical work and was discharged at the age of 24, then was a railroad inspector, a tax collector, and a translator at San Juan City Hall before moving to New York City in 1926.
In Manhattan, Flores worked in various menial jobs, including digging a tunnel to help in the construction of the 8th Avenue subway, until he met a famous Puerto Rican musician, Rafael Hernández. Drawn into his circle of friends, Flores was inspired to become a musician and composer. His first song to be commercially recorded was “Toma Jabón Pa’ Que Te Laves.” A friendly rivalry with Hernández prodded Flores to become a prolific songwriter, and he quickly penned songs like “Despedida,” “Linda,” “Sin Bandera,” “Quejas Del Alma,” and “Abandono.”
Flores formed his own group, Cuarteto Flores (Flores Quartet), with Davility, Panchito Rizet, and Daniel Santos. Other musicians joined the outfit, but even though the size of the group fluctuated, they continued to be called a quartet. It was during this period that Flores composed some of his best-known works, including “Perdón,” “Esperanza Inútil,” “Bajo Un Palmar Tranquilo,” “Obsesión,” and “Qué Te Pasa?” Flores performed these songs with his quartet as they traveled extensively through Latin America.
Business problems caused Flores to leave the quartet. He moved to Mexico, and then lived in Cuba. He returned to New York and formed a new quartet with lead singer Daniel Santos, recommended to him by Rafael Hernández. In 1967, he returned to his homeland. Nearing the end of his life, he made a surprising confession. “I was never a real musician,” he said. “I have never played an instrument. I don’t know a single note of music. I am not a poet. I think God gave me a sign with his finger and told me, ‘You are going to write songs so people can have fun and that is the destiny of your life.’” He died in San Juan on July 14, 1979. Time has not diminished the popularity of his songs, which have been recorded by many different artists, including Danny Rivera, Carmita Jiménez, the Barrio Boyz, and Marc Anthony.
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