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Cuban singer, songwriter, and radio personality, best known as the composer of "Guantanamera", one of Cuba's most iconic and internationally recognized songs.Born in 1908 in the Los Sitios neighborhood of Havana, Fernández became a prominent figure on Cuban radio in the 1920s and 1930s. He earned the nickname "El Rey de la Melodía" (The King of Melody). His most enduring legacy is the song "Guantanamera", composed around 1929. He performed daily on radio for decades, often improvising verses to the song's melody based on current news events. He died in Havana in 1979.

• The original lyrics for "Guantanamera" were reportedly satirical verses Fernández improvised about a woman from Guantánamo. The melody itself likely has older folk roots.
• The song gained worldwide fame after being adapted by American folk singer Pete Seeger in the 1960s, using verses from the poetry of Cuban independence hero José Martí.
• Despite its immense popularity and association with Cuban identity, "Guantanamera" was never officially adopted as the Cuban national anthem.
• Fernández performed "Guantanamera" daily on his radio show "El suceso del día" (The Event of the Day), creating new verses (décimas) that commented on local news and scandals, making the song a unique form of musical journalism.