Pedro Guerra
Who is Pedro Guerra?
Pedro Manuel Guerra Mansito (Güímar, Tenerife, Canary Islands, June 2, 1966) is a Spanish singer-songwriter, son of Pedro Guerra Cabrera, the first president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands. He studied guitar and music theory at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Tenerife, and from a young age combined his training with early performances at popular festivals on the island, sharing the stage with Canarian groups such as Taburiente and Los Sabandeños, and with singer-songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute.
At eighteen he moved to the university town of La Laguna, where he met other Canarian songwriters and performers, including Andrés Molina, Rogelio Botanz and Marisa Delgado, with whom he founded the group Taller Canario de Canción in 1985.
Career
With Taller, Pedro Guerra became one of the leading figures of the new generation of Nueva Canción Canaria, a movement marked by social commitment and the fusion of Canarian folklore with modern, Latin American and North African sounds. The group recorded several albums throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with occasional collaborations from artists such as Silvio Rodríguez and Joaquín Sabina.
In 1993 he moved to Madrid to launch his solo career, performing at venues such as Libertad 8 and Teatro Alfil, and collaborating as a musician and composer with artists including Ana Belén, Víctor Manuel, Joaquín Sabina, Marta Sánchez and Paloma San Basilio. His first solo album, “Golosinas” (1995), recorded live, included “Contamíname,” a song originally written for Ana Belén that would become one of his best-known tracks. His second album brought major radio success with “Tan cerca de mí” (1997). It was followed by works such as “Mararía” (1998), a film score for which he was nominated for an Academy award and recognized by SGAE and AIE, “Raíz” (1999), which returned to Canarian sounds, “Ofrenda” (2001), “Hijas de Eva” (2002), with Silvio Rodríguez and Fito Páez, “La palabra en el aire” (2003), recorded with poet Ángel González, “Bolsillos” (2004), and “Vidas” (2008). In 2010 he released “Contigo en la distancia” (Versiones Vol. 2), the second installment of a covers project of tango, bolero, ranchera and copla begun with “Alma mía” (Versiones Vol. 1).
Notable discography
His catalogue blends socially engaged songwriting — including a piece about discrimination against women premiered at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas in 2001 — with projects rooted in Canarian tradition and tributes to popular Latin American and Spanish repertoire. “Contamíname” remains his most recognizable song, a symbol of cultural blending that gives its name to his whole approach to music.