Puchito

Puchito Records was a Cuban independent record label established in Havana in 1954 during the commercial expansion of mambo, cha-cha-chá, bolero, son and related forms of Caribbean popular music. It was founded by Jesús Gorís together with Alfredo Beltrán and Oliva. The label’s name was originally selected for a proposed series of children’s records and referred to the youngest child, but Puchito instead became known for adult popular music and for the work of prominent Cuban singers, instrumentalists and dance orchestras. Gorís entered the music business through his father’s hardware shop, La Estrella, which became known as Gorís Shop. He represented RCA Victor there, but also informally sold Columbia and Decca records. His first notable production investment was the 1952 recording of “Guantanamera,” composed by Joseíto Fernández. Its jukebox success helped establish Gorís as a producer and encouraged him to create a label of his own. Puchito’s early catalogue included Olga Guillot, one of Cuba’s leading bolero singers. In 1954 the label issued an album pairing Guillot with the Castro Brothers Orchestra, and it subsequently produced nine additional Guillot albums and several singles through 1960. A notable later project was Guillot’s 1958 album “Intimidades,” for which René Touzet served as musical director and orchestrator. The album helped consolidate the reputations of both Guillot and Touzet and included several compositions that became associated with their careers. The label also played an important role in the return of sonero Abelardo Barroso. With encouragement from Benny Moré, Gorís helped bring renewed attention to Barroso, a singer whose principal earlier recording period had been in the 1920s and 1930s. In July 1955, Barroso recorded “La hija de Juan Simón” and “En Guantánamo” with Orquesta Sensación. The Puchito single became a major two-sided hit and received a Gold Record designation in 1956. Puchito followed it with additional Barroso singles and also recorded or released work by Chapottín y sus Estrellas with Miguelito Cuní, Orquesta Riverside with Tito Gómez, and Roberto Faz and his conjunto. Puchito used several Havana recording facilities, including Radio Progreso, a private studio in Vedado, and the Cuban Plastics & Record Corporation facilities associated with Panart. Its records were manufactured at Panart’s factory, while distribution expanded beyond Cuba. Around 1955, Puchito became associated with Montilla Records, whose distribution network in New York helped circulate the label’s releases across the United States. The Cuban Revolution fundamentally changed the label’s position. On May 29, 1961, Puchito’s assets and management were taken over during the nationalization of private record companies and placed under the Imprenta Nacional de Cuba. The National Press functioned as Cuba’s only legal record-label structure until 1964, when EGREM became the country’s national recording and publishing enterprise. Puchito’s original independent operation therefore ended as part of the reorganization of Cuban cultural industries. Gorís went into exile in Miami and, with Giuseppe Pucci Storniolo, established Puchito Record Mfg. Co. Inc. in Florida in 1963. The Miami company manufactured and reissued recordings brought from Cuba, introduced the Adria budget label and distributed the Krystal label. Its documented labels also included Puchito, Dardo Recordings and J. & G. Recordings. The Florida operation remained active into the early 1970s, although later rights, reissues and distribution arrangements involved a number of other companies, including Armada and Rodriguez of Florida, Antilla and other Latin-music distributors. Puchito is consequently remembered both as a formative Cuban label of the 1950s and as a diaspora-linked catalogue that continued to circulate Cuban recordings after nationalization.

Jesús Gorís developed his record-business experience through La Estrella, his father’s hardware store in Havana. Although the shop officially represented RCA Victor, Gorís also sold recordings from other labels. His 1952 investment in Joseíto Fernández’s “Guantanamera” performed well in jukeboxes and gave him the confidence to establish a label with Alfredo Beltrán and Oliva. Puchito Records was founded in 1954, initially under a name chosen for a planned children’s-record series. The label quickly shifted toward mainstream Cuban popular music. Its first major album featured Olga Guillot with the Castro Brothers Orchestra. Guillot remained closely associated with Puchito, which issued nine further albums and several singles for her through 1960. In 1958, René Touzet served as musical director and orchestrator for Guillot’s “Intimidades,” a release later regarded as one of the most important recordings in her career. The project also showcased several Touzet compositions. Gorís supported the rediscovery of Abelardo Barroso, a sonero whose earlier career dated to the 1920s. With support from Benny Moré, Puchito brought Barroso back into the studio with Orquesta Sensación. The July 1955 single pairing “La hija de Juan Simón” and “En Guantánamo” became a major hit and received Gold Record recognition in 1956. Further Barroso releases followed. During the remainder of the 1950s, Puchito expanded its catalogue with Chapottín y sus Estrellas and Miguelito Cuní, Orquesta Riverside and Tito Gómez, and Roberto Faz and his conjunto. Recordings were made in several Havana facilities, including Radio Progreso and a private Vedado studio. Puchito also used the Cuban Plastics & Record Corporation facilities linked to Panart, where its discs were manufactured. Distribution broadened through an association with Montilla Records. In 1956, Montilla established a New York distribution presence intended to circulate Puchito releases throughout the United States. The label’s independent Cuban existence ended during the nationalization of private enterprises after the Cuban Revolution. On May 29, 1961, Puchito was among the record companies placed under the Imprenta Nacional de Cuba. The National Press became the sole legal Cuban label structure until EGREM replaced it as the national recording and music-publishing enterprise in 1964. EGREM later operated imprints including Areito, Palma and Siboney, while Puchito’s earlier catalogue became part of the broader history of Cuban recorded music. Gorís emigrated to Miami in 1961 and was admitted as a permanent resident in 1962. In 1963 he and Giuseppe Pucci Storniolo founded Puchito Record Mfg. Co. Inc. in Hialeah. The Florida operation worked with recordings Gorís had brought from Cuba and issued some material through the Adria budget label. It also distributed the Krystal label and used additional imprints including Dardo Recordings and J. & G. Recordings. J. & G. Recordings was registered as a United States trademark associated with the company from 1967 to 1977. Later catalogue circulation involved Miami- and New York-based distributors, including Armada and Rodriguez, Antilla and other reissue and manufacturing companies. José Armada and Vicente Rodríguez, both experienced in the Cuban record trade, continued distributing Puchito material after emigrating and later acquired the label at auction in Miami. The Florida company’s documented activity continued into the early 1970s, while the name and recordings persisted through reissues and licensing arrangements. Puchito is therefore historically significant as both a pre-1961 Cuban independent label and a conduit through which Cuban recordings continued to reach diaspora and international audiences.

• 1964

  EGREM replaces the National Press as Cuba’s national label

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Cuba reorganized its state recording system under EGREM, ending the Imprenta Nacional’s period as the sole legal label structure.

• 1963

  Florida manufacturing company is launched

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Gorís and Storniolo established Puchito Record Mfg. Co. Inc. in Hialeah to handle manufacturing, reissues and distribution.

• 1961

  Puchito is nationalized in Cuba

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label’s Cuban assets and management were transferred to the Imprenta Nacional de Cuba.

• 1958

  “Intimidades” strengthens Guillot and Touzet’s reputations

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  René Touzet directed and orchestrated Olga Guillot’s Puchito album, which became an important entry in her career.

• 1956

  Barroso single receives Gold Record recognition

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Puchito release became a major double-sided hit and was recognized as a Gold Record.

• 1955

  Abelardo Barroso records for Puchito

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Barroso recorded “La hija de Juan Simón” and “En Guantánamo” with Orquesta Sensación after a long absence from recording.

• 1954

  Puchito Records is founded

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Gorís, Alfredo Beltrán and Oliva established the independent label in Havana.

• 1952

  Gorís invests in “Guantanamera”

  [1]Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Jesús Gorís invested in a recording of Joseíto Fernández’s “Guantanamera,” which performed well in Cuban jukeboxes and preceded the creation of Puchito.

An independent Cuban popular-music label focused on commercially successful vocalists, dance orchestras and catalogue revival, later extended through Miami-based manufacturing, distribution and reissue activity.

• Bolero and popular vocal albums · 1954

  Olga Guillot catalogue

  Puchito’s Guillot releases formed one of its most important vocal catalogues. The label first recorded her with the Castro Brothers Orchestra in 1954 and continued with nine further albums and several singles through 1960. The repertoire centered on bolero and related Cuban popular-song traditions, with production emphasizing orchestral accompaniment and showcase performances.

• Son and dance-music singles · 1955

  Abelardo Barroso with Orquesta Sensación

  The 1955 Puchito single pairing “La hija de Juan Simón” with “En Guantánamo” marked Barroso’s return to recording after a lengthy absence. Backed by Orquesta Sensación, the veteran sonero achieved a major late-career success. Puchito issued additional Barroso singles in 1956, making the project a defining example of the label’s catalogue-revival role.

• Album · 1958

  “Intimidades”

  This 1958 Olga Guillot album was directed and orchestrated by pianist and composer René Touzet. It is associated with several important songs in Guillot’s repertoire and with Touzet’s development as an original composer. The album illustrates Puchito’s emphasis on carefully arranged vocal productions rather than only dance-floor singles.

• Budget reissue label · 1963

  Adria

  Adria was created by the Florida Puchito operation after Jesús Gorís moved to Miami. It was used to issue recordings brought from Cuba and served as a lower-priced outlet for catalogue material. The imprint formed part of Puchito’s post-revolution diaspora manufacturing and distribution strategy.

• 1963

  Puchito establishes a Miami manufacturing and reissue operationStrategy

  Background

  After emigrating from Cuba, Jesús Gorís sought to continue working with recordings connected to his former label and to serve Cuban music audiences in exile.

  Action taken

  Gorís and Giuseppe Pucci Storniolo formed Puchito Record Mfg. Co. Inc. in Hialeah, Florida, using the Puchito name and related imprints.

  Aftermath

  The Florida operation manufactured and reissued Cuban recordings, introduced Adria and distributed Krystal. Its documented activity continued into the early 1970s.

  Source

• 1961

  Cuban nationalization ends Puchito’s independent operationOther

  Background

  Following the Cuban Revolution, the government reorganized privately owned cultural and industrial enterprises. Puchito was among the record companies whose assets and management were assumed by the Imprenta Nacional de Cuba.

  Action taken

  The label was incorporated into the state-controlled recording structure on May 29, 1961.

  Aftermath

  Puchito ceased operating as an independent Cuban company. The National Press remained the country’s only legal label structure until EGREM became the national label in 1964.

  Source

1. 1Puchito Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Artists photos, Discos Puchito, University of Miami Libraries Digital Collectionsdigitalcollections.library.miami.edu