He is considered one of the most famous columbia dancers and his mysterious death has been the subject of numerous essays, poems and songs, most notably "Malanga murió", written by Faustino Drake and performed by Arsenio Rodríguez amongst others.
José Rosario Oviedo was born on October 5, 1885, in "La Esperanza", an ingenio near the village of Alacranes in the Unión de Reyes municipality, Matanzas Province, Cuba.
[2] His mother, Funciana Oviedo, was an ex-slave and raised him in the town of Unión de Reyes after living in several ingenios such as "Majagua" and "San Gonzalo".
[5] [6] According to famous tres player Isaac Oviedo, "he moved blindfolded with a glass of water on his head (...) without ever losing his step or the rhythm".
Cuban poet Fernando García González wrote a poem in 1985 dedicated to Malanga entitled "Canto al Rumbero Mayor".