Recitado - Despedida - Javier Solis vocal: Javier Solis

Justin:  Thanks for your question regarding the song "Despedida," about a soldier saying farewell as he goes to war and worries who will care for his mother if he doesn't return. It's a beautiful and emotional song, and I'm glad you asked about it. 

You didn't specify if you wanted the original release date of the song, or the date of release of this version by Javier Solis. I have some information on both. 

The Cuarteto Flores, the composer's famous group, first recorded the song in New York on April 22, 1941, at the start of World War II. The recording session is documented in Richard K. Spottswood's "Ethnic Music on Records: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893-1942. Vol. 4: Spanish, Portuguese, Philippines, Basque." Frontera's 78-rpm copy on the Victor label indicates the vocalist was Daniel Santos. 

The version by Javier Solis is much more recent. This Columbia release (EX-5230) was released in the United States but has no recent date. However, I found an internet source that indicates the album was released by CBS Mexico in 1967. That sounds about right to me, because that's about the time I discovered the record, which has those unique spoken poetic introductions to each song.

Hope this helps. Thanks for your interest in our historic archives. 

Agustín Gurza, Editor, The Frontera Collection