Lourdes Pita, of Hispanic heritage, picked up the guitar when she was nine years old. Her mother, the internationally acclaimed Cuban poet in exile, Juana Rosa Pita, taught her how to play the guitar and to sing Spanish and English folk songs. Lourdes studied classical music throughout elementary school and high school and played with the orchestra as second chair flute. It wasn’t until her last year of high school that she realized writing songs and performing was her true passion. Playing flute, bass and guitar, she performed with several bands in the Miami area before she set out on her own in 1986.
Lourdes went from her first full time gig in a small pub in Stuart Florida to the streets of New England and has since appeared on television for an After School Special episode where she played bass in an all girl high school band, and opened up for such big name acts as Livingston Taylor and Patty Larkin.
Sinking deep roots into the New England soil and the streets of Boston, she acquired numerous devoted fans. Since arriving in Boston, Lourdes has released three self-produced cassettes, which have all sold out and received favorable reviews from music critics. Now is the Time, the title track from her first CD in 1994, received extensive airplay from local college radio stations. It was also very well received in Spain, where it got regular airplay in Barcelona. It was also aired in Prague, and has gotten continuous airplay alongside Gloria Estefan’s “Reach” in the Czech Republic.
With her second CD, In Control released in November of 2001, Lourdes plays all the acoustic guitars, a lot of the electric guitars and writes, produces and arranges all the songs. Her CD release concerts were a huge success and the CD received critical acclaim as well.
In 2005 Now is the Time; (the anthem title track to her first CD) was chosen for a compilation CD out of Canada entitled “Peace Songs For a Better World Volume II”. It was released in February of 2006 and is currently getting worldwide airplay.
Lourdes Pita’s album Seize the Dream, released in 2006, featured 13 new songs intended to capture the spirit of life in all of us. This collection of original songs was meant to help remind listeners how important it is never to give up and always keep dreams alive. As with the two preceding albums, Lourdes once again inspired listeners with themes of hope, love and peace.
In the spring of 2010 Lourdes released her most ambitious and eclectic album to date, House of Light/Casa de Luz.
In late 2022 Lourdes released her debut all Spanish language album Lamento Cubano. Here is the smart link to stream and download the songs: https://album.link/lamentocubano
Lourdes Pita’s debut Spanish album has finally been released. It begins and closes with a
most beautiful interpretation of the traditional Cuban song by Eliseo Grenet that gives
the album its title, Lamento cubano, originally recorded by the legendary Toña la Negra
in the 1950’s. The album includes some of Lourdes’ classic such as “Solución,” in which
her guitar reveals the flamenco influence of Paco de Lucía, and “Vida en Venecia,” in
which she sets verses by Juana Rosa Pita to music, enunciated by her crystal clear voice
like a mysterious Barcarolle. An album that once listened to must be heard again and
Again.
A note from Lourdes about the album Lamento cubano:
Lamento cubano is a compilation of some of my Spanish songs that have appeared on
earlier albums in addition to new ones. I write songs primarily in English, and it took me
decades to put together an all-Spanish language album. Below is the story of how I got
here.
My sister, Maria was born in Havana, Cuba in 1961, during a period of violent turmoil.
Our father, Mario Pita was involved in the resistance against the totalitarian regime being
imposed on Cubans and was forced to take refuge in the Brazilian Embassy. When my
sister was four months old, she and my mother flew to Madrid.
Our family eventually reunited in Miami, where my brother and I were born, but when
my father was offered a job with U.S.A.I.D., we moved to Fairfax, Virginia. Our maternal
grandparents lived with us, and I remember growing up listening to my grandfather
singing Cuban songs while my grandmother lamented on the loss of her home in Cuba.
When I got older I wrote the song “Solución” to help ease my grandmother’s pain by
pointing out all the reasons she had to be happy. “Solución” was originally released as
the only Spanish song on my 1994 album “Now is the Time” which has been licensed on
numerous T.V. shows and movies worldwide for the past 25 years.
“Lamento cubano” is a vintage Cuban folk song (the only cover song on the album) and I
chose it as the album title because it really sums up the pain so many families like mine
went through when they were forced to flee their homeland.
My mother, Juana Rosa Pita is regarded as one of Cuba’s most influential poets in exile,
and has been translated into English and Italian. She made a new home in America,
where she soon found solace and critical acclaim in poetry, and her adopted country,
Italy. The song “Vida en Venecia” is taken from one of her books. I could not have put this
collection together without her.
The album is sad yet also features hopeful songs at its heart, such as “Solución” and “No
Hay Problema”, an upbeat song about loving and enjoying life no matter what obstacles
come our way. “Casa de Luz” (Originally released in English with some Spanish in 2010) is
about seeing the light in the dark.
“Lamento Cubano (unplugged version) ” was chosen to be included in an independent
film about a famous artist from Cuba by the name of Rafael Soriano. His painting entitled
“La gitana” oil on canvas from 1962 is the cover of the album.
Feeling I have honored my Latin/Cuban heritage with this album, I’m proud to debut
to the world “Lamento cubano”.
-Lourdes Pita