NEW YORK (AP) – Ruben Blades says he never imagined his CD “Tangos” would be nominated for a Latin Grammy.
Instead, it’s up for two – album of the year and best tango album.
“People probably have to rub their eyes and say, ‘What, Ruben Blades in the tango category?’ I was surprised because you never know about Grammy nominations. My album ‘Siembra,’ arguably the biggest seller in the history of salsa, never got nominated for a Grammy,” said the 66-year-old Blades, who has won four Latin Grammys and six Grammys.
The Panamanian-born Blades says the nominations are affirmation of his belief that re-creating his salsa songs as tangos would work, even though he had to use completely different phrasing in singing such songs as “Paula C,” ”Ligia Elena,” and “Adan Garcia.”
At Thursday night’s Latin Grammys, Blades will be performing the “Tangos” version of his biggest hit, “Pedro Navaja,” inspired by “Mack the Knife,” his socially conscious song about the life and death of a murderous street hustler.