Cubana de Aviación

Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is a national airline based in Cuba, as well as the country's largest airline. It was founded in October 1929 (1929-10), becoming one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. It has its corporate headquarters in Havana, and its main base is located at José Martí International Airport. Originally a subsidiary of Pan American World Airways and later a private company owned by Cuban investors, Cubana has been wholly owned by the Cuban government since May 1959 and celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2009.

Cubana was a founder and is a current member of the International Air Transport Association, the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA) and the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL).

History

Early years to Cuban revolution

The airline was established on 8 October 1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss S.A., initially as a flying school as well as a charter carrier, beginning scheduled services in 1930. The airline's name indicated its association with the Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company. Cubana's early fleet used Curtiss Robin, amphibian Sikorsky S-38, Ford Trimotor, and Lockheed Electra (L-10) aircraft. Pan American acquired Cubana in 1932, and the word Curtiss was deleted from the carrier's name. By the end of the decade, the carrier had a fleet of four Ford Trimotors and three Lockheed Electras that operated on the domestic Havana–Camaguey, Havana–Guantanamo–Baracoa and Santiago–Baracoa routes.

Ricardo Arjona

Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales (born 19 January 1964), known as Ricardo Arjona (Spanish pronunciation: [riˈkaɾðo arˈxona]), is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter and former basketball player and school teacher. Arjona is one of the most successful Latin American artists of all time, with more than 20 million albums sold. He is often called El Animal Nocturno (The Nocturnal Animal), thanks to his breakthrough success with his fourth studio album which bears the same name. His music ranges from ballads to Latin pop, rock, pop rock, Cuban music, and more recently a cappella performances and a mixture of Tejano music and Norteño music, and other Afro-American and Latin sounds. Arjona is noted for his lyrical style, and often addresses topics such as love, sexuality, violence, racism and immigration.

As of 2014, Arjona had released fourteen studio albums, one live album, nine compilation albums and forty-three singles. Four Arjona albums reached number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums, and ten reached number one in Argentina. Four albums had charted on the Billboard 200. Four singles had reached number one on the Billboard Latin Songs chart and seven had done the same on Latin Pop Songs. His work earned him numerous awards and accolades, including one Grammy Award, one Latin Grammy Award, the "Latin Heritage" Award as well as awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; a silver and golden torch and two silver seagulls from the 2010 Viña del Mar International Song Festival, two Billboard Latin Music Awards, and a "Latin Trajectory of the Year" Award at the Orgullosamente Latino Awards of 2010.

Las Chicas del Can

Las Chicas Del Can was an all-female merengue group from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Originally created by pianist Belkis Concepción, several teams of female vocalists and musicians have alternately performed under the name Las Chicas del Can throughout the group's history.

Originally founded in 1982, Las Chicas del Can performed hit after hit throughout the eighties, and a great number of their singles and albums achieved gold and/or platinum status. Hits such as "El Negro No Puede," "La Media María," "Sukaína," "Juana la Cubana," "Culeca," "Ta' Pillao," "Fuego," "Fiebre," and "Las Pequeñas Cosas" are now regarded merengue classics.

Pianist Belkis Concepción left the group early to go solo in 1985. Singers Miriam Cruz and Eunice Betances then teamed up and got vocal support from, among others, Luchy Betances and Verónica Medina. Verónica Medina herself then went solo in 1987. In 1988 singer Heidy Bello joined Las Chicas Del Can but was replaced in 1991 by singers Arismar Eduardo and Rosana Eusebio.