"Chan Chan" is a 1984 son composition by Cuban trovador Compay Segundo. It was first recorded in 1985 by Compay Segundo's own group. In 1987, he approached Eliades Ochoa, who agreed to record a version with the Cuarteto Patria. However, EGREM did not release these recordings until the second half of the 1990s. In November 1995, Compay recorded a new version in Madrid for his Antología, released on CD the following year. In March 1996, Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa and other veteran Cuban musicians recorded a new version of the song as part of the Buena Vista Social Club project. The song became the opening track of their eponymous album and the group's signature song, thereby achieving international fame.
UK single cover for "Chan Chan"
Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles, known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer.
Segundo at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba with a standing ovation in 2002
The tomb of Compay Segundo at the Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia in Santiago de Cuba. March 2014