Name/Title
EP record "Clara y Mario" (Areíto/EGREM 7″ 45 rpm EP, EPA-6193)Entry/Object ID
2025.1.288Description
A 7-inch, 45 rpm extended-play vinyl record in an illustrated paper sleeve, produced and distributed by EGREM on its Areíto label. It is a two-song bolero single by the Cuban duo Clara y Mario: side A "Que Pena Me Da," side B "¿Por Qué Me Has Olvidado?" (credited on the disc label as a bolero by Francisco Olivera). The blue Areíto disc label carries the Taíno cemí device, the EGREM slogan "La música cubana alrededor del mundo," "45 rpm," "EPA-6193."Context
Clara y Mario were a much-loved vocal duo billed as "el dúo romántico de Cuba"; according to a Cuban radio profile, the pair — Mario Rodríguez and Clara Morales, who lived in adjoining houses in the across-the-bay town of Regla — had sung together since childhood, with Mario carrying the lead voice and Clara the second, and they debuted on the television station directed by Gaspar Pumarejo. Both songs here later appeared on their Areíto/EGREM LP El Dúo Romántico de Cuba.Audio Format
45 RPM RecordRecording Type
MusicCollection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collectionAlbum Detail
Contributors
Contributor
Clara y MarioRole
SingerRecord Label
AreítoMusical Genre
BoleroPlace Recorded
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaLanguage
SpanishAlbum Artwork Description
The sleeve uses EGREM's standard concentric-rings template (blue, orange, and teal bands) with the duo's name in a half-disc panel and, in the other half, a color aerial photograph of Havana's Vedado dominated by the circular, spider-roofed Coppelia ice-cream pavilion.Notes
Dating: EPA-6193 falls between the Los Van Van EP (EPA-6169, 1969) and the Sucu-Sucu (EPA-6263) and Bonne (EPA-6301) EPs, so best dated c. 1969–1970.Track Details
Title
Que pena me daTrack Contributors
Contributor
Clara y MarioRole
SingerContributor
Juan ArrondoRole
ComposerLanguage
SpanishTranscription
Qué pena me daTranslation
I feel sorryTitle
¿Por qué me has olvidado?Track Contributors
Contributor
Clara y MarioRole
SingerContributor
Francisco OliveraLanguage
SpanishTranscription
Por qué me ha solvidado?Translation
Why have you forgotten me?Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Makers MarkLocation
back coverTranscription
EPA-6193Language
SpanishTranslation
EPA-6193Material/Technique
PrintedDimensions
Height
18.5 cmWidth
18.5 cmRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezNotes
ownerPerson or Organization
Clara y MarioNotes
artistsRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
production, represented, acquisition, useResearch Notes
Notes
The most telling detail for the archive is the packaging: this sleeve is the same stock Areíto design used for the Tambores de Enrique Bonne EP (EPA-6301) — the identical concentric-rings template and the identical Coppelia aerial photograph. EGREM evidently reused standardized generic covers (and the Coppelia image specifically) across multiple EPs in this catalog range rather than commissioning artist-specific artwork — an economical packaging practice that also kept Mario Girona's 1966 Coppelia, an emblem of revolutionary Havana, recurring on record sleeves regardless of the music inside.Created By
Hana FlammCreate Date
March 25, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 16, 2026
