Hernandez/Buena Vista Social Club

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A 3 page essay that examines an essay on an aspect of Latino culture. In 1997, Warner Music produced an album, the Buena Vista Social Club (BVSC), which won a Grammy in 1998 and ultimately become one of the best-selling albums of all time--worldwide. Subsequently, in 1999, a documentary, by the same name, was produced that gave all of the credit for the BVSC album, regarding its impetus and production, to North American guitarist Ry Cooder (Hernandez 62). In her essay on this topic, Tanya Hernandez makes a number of intriguing points concerning the relationship between popular culture and the legacy of imperialism. Two of these points are that Ry Cooder's glorified role regarding the album is a continuation of the "discoverer/conqueror" mythos and, secondly, that the BVSC's glorification of prerevolutionary Cuba ignores the social realities of that era. No additional sources cited.