Silvano Shueg Hechevarría was born on January 6, 1900, in Santiago de Cuba, the capital of Oriente, Cuba's easternmost region. In 1919 Shueg became the timbalero in a son estudiantina (student ensemble) from Santiago called Los Champions del Son. In 1927, the band toured Havana and Shueg decided to stay in the city, where he joined the Marte y Belona dance academy. He then began performing at the numerous nightclubs and cabarets along the beach in Marianao, such as Los Tres Hermanos, El Ranchito, Rumba Palace (which was renamed La Choricera in his honor), and La Taberna de Pedro, where he played for over a decade. In these venues he met other percussionists including Cándido Camero and Tito Puente. He played sones and guarachas, and occasionally sang through a megaphone.