Cano Estremera

Who is Cano Estremera?

Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón is a Puerto Rican Salsa singer who is a native of San Juan. Estremera, who is an albino, is nicknamed -and billed- as "El Cano", a word which is commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to people of light complexion. He is arguably the most famous albino in the Caribbean country, and as such, has raised public awareness of the condition's traits and limitations.

Estremera developed his talent as a singer while residing in Residencial Las Casas, a public housing complex in the area of Santurce, not far from Trastalleres, where Daniel Santos, Andy Montañez and Ossie Ocasio were raised. As Héctor Lavoe did before him, Estremera acknowledges Puerto Rican jíbaro country singers as a strong influence. He developed a reputation for being a fast and clever improviser, in the same vein as Marvin Santiago, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Oscar D'León and other salsa singers who could improvise dozens of soneos on the spot. Later in his life Estremera would use the title "Dueño del soneo" as a marketing concept, emphasizing his prowess as an on-the-spot improviser.