to the piano classes he had abandoned in his childhood, this time under the guidance of Elvira Fabre Obregón. At 17 years old in 1964, he was required to participate in compulsory military service. He joined the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FAR), where he would meet Esteban Baños, a member of his unit who gave him further instruction in playing the guitar. It was in the Managua military encampment that Rodríguez composed his first songs, which he played for the other soldiers. His first songs, written in 1964 and 1965, were the boleros ¨Saudade" and "La cascada," both about love; later, he wrote "Atavismo", "Nuestra ciudad", "Es sed", "Te vas", and "La otra presencia". His interest in protest songs came shortly after this period. At the same time, he worked as an illustrator for the Art and Science section of the magazine Venceremos, which was published by the political section of the Army. In 1965, he transferred to the magazine Verde Olive, where he remained until the end of his military service, working during the day and teaching himself the guitar at night. In 1967, just before completing his military service, Rodríguez won an honorary mention in the literary competition of the FAR for his book of poems Honradado Cuaderno No. 1. At the end of this period, Rodríguez began his prolific music career. Music career Television career Rodríguez made his musical debut in front of the general public on June 13, 1967 in the television program Música y estrellas, invited to perform by musical director Mario Romeu. On that occasion, Rodríguez performed "Es sed", "Sueño del colgado y la tierra", and "Quédate", the latter of which appeared later on his album Expedición, released in 2002. Between November 1967 and mid-1968, he was the host of the television program Mientras tanto, named after one of his songs. The program had artists, writers, cinematographers, and new and established artists as guest stars. Among those featured were Bola de Nieve, Omara Portuondo, and Elena Burke, among other influential Cuban artists. Each episode ended with Rodríguez's song "Y nada más", which appeared in his 1978 album Mujeres. After the death of Che Guevara in 1967, he wrote the protest songs "¿Por qué?", and "La leyenda del águila". Other songs written during this period include 'Ay de mí', 'Debajo del cañón', 'Déjame regresar', 'En busca del tiempo perdido', 'En ti', 'Graciela', 'Grita más', 'Hay un