As he prepares to play the UK, the 25-Grammy-winning musician (and Harvard law graduate) looks back on his astonishing journey from the barrios of Panama City to global stardom<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019ve been around,\u201d says Rub\u00e9n Blades, accurately. One of the most influential Latin musicians of the past half-century, the Panamanian singer-songwriter, 77, has been a defining force in salsa, collecting 25 Grammy awards \u2013 13 Latin, 12 mainstream \u2013 and getting shout-outs from a new generation including Rosal\u00eda and Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n
Blades has moved between music, law, politics and film as if they were all part of the same conversation. He has a Harvard law degree, made a presidential bid in Panama \u2013 he was also the country\u2019s minister of tourism from 2004 to 2009 \u2013 and has had film roles alongside Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington, all of which he sorted out on his own. \u201cA manager would go crazy,\u201d he laughs, his grey eyes crinkling on a video call from his home in New York City, ahead of a gig he\u2019s playing in London.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/60b9e63b9ba49d4ffd2dc7e9f1f5ae31f49c2058\/124_0_2388_1909\/master\/2388.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2792255c570b73e5aba505c6faad784f\" "\\"\u2018I\u2019m")
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