When the nine friends, all students in various engineering faculties at Havana University, first decided to form a music group, they were thinking of maybe funk or something Brazilian, both so popular at the time. It was the father of the two brothers in the group, Juan de Marcos and Carlos González, who suggested they play son instead. Calling themselves Sierra Maestra after the birthplace of the music in Eastern Cuba, the group quickly found they were on to a big hit. From 1976 onwards they were popular all over the island and their first album in 1980 was an island-wide success. Son was back, after a lull of some 40 years. Having revived it, the group became prize winners in Cuba, and started touring internationally.