Pedro Flores (March 9, 1894 – July 14, 1979) was one Puerto
Rico's best known composers of ballads and boleros.
Flores (birth name: Pedro Juan Flores Córdova) was one of
twelve children born into a poor family in the town of Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Flores' father died when he was only nine years old and therefore, he was
forced to work at a young age. When he was sixteen years old, he took a special
course in the Universidad de Puerto Rico and received his teachers certificate.
Flores taught for five years and worked for one year at a sugar mill in the
island of Vieques. In 1918, he served in a clerical position in the U.S. Army.
He was honorably discharged from the Army when he was twenty-four years old.
In 1926, Flores went to New York City without any formal
musical education and joined another Puerto Rican composer, Rafael Hernández in
his Trío Borinquen. Even though Flores and Hernández became very good friends,
they also became competitors as composers. When Flores wrote Sin Bandera,
Hernández rushed and wrote Preciosa.
In 1930, Flores formed his own trio which he named
"Trío Galón", and whose music and songs had a faster beat than the
"Trío Borinquen". Flores had problems with the music publishing company
and he abandoned the trio. He moved to Mexico and then lived in Cuba for a
short period of time. Flores eventually returned to New York where he
reorganized his old trio. Some of the singers of this new trio were Myrta
Silva, Daniel Santos and Pedro Ortiz Dávila "Davilita".
A 1996 television special honoring his work features
versions by many Puerto Rican and international artists, such as Ednita
Nazario, Marc Anthony, Yolandita Monge and Shakira.
Pedro Flores died in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 14, 1979
and is buried in Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery located in Old San
Juan.
Recorded in New York in 1933.
