At the age of 13 he began to sing at religious festivities, or fiesta de santo.
His first major employment as a musician was in 1949, where he sang on Sunday afternoons for the radio station, RHC-Cadena Azul.
After the 1959 revolution, he received international acclaim with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (or National Folkloric Ensemble of Cuba) which allowed him to travel to Mexico, France, Spain, and the United States.
He is recognized as a founder of Afro-Cuban rock due to his work with the Síntesis and their album, Ancestros (Ancestors).
In the year of his death, he was awarded the Orden Félix Varela First Degree, Cuba's highest cultural honour.