A blend of very diverse influences, this genre becomes fixed as from 1880 in the eastern region of Cuba, taken over by the trova singers who incorporated a syncopated guitar banter (the rayado) into it. Legend has it that the first bolero, Tristeza (Sadness), was written in 1885 by José "Pepe" Sánchez, a self taught singer and guitarist. It is closer to the 20th Century when the bolero actually arrives in Havana, where it becomes popular in the social meeting places and cafes owing to the musicians coming from the Oriente such as Sindo Garay. During the 20's the bolero, half-bred with the son, opened up the way for the bolero-son, made popular in those times by the tríos and the septetos, and which in these times are known as the ballad or romantic salsa.
