Among the most influential exponents of the Cuban Son is The Sexteto Habanero. They represented the evolution of the Son in its transition from the rural and mountainous zone of the province of Oriente to that of the urban influence of the capital, Havana. The Son was brought to Havana from Oriente during the first decade of the 20th century, largely due to the activities of the Permanente (armed forces). Guillermo Castillo, Carlos Godinez and Ricardo Martinez had a group which functioned within the Permanente called the Trio Oriental. It became the Cuarteto Oriental when Alfredo Bolona joined the group in Havana as bongosero (bongo player). In addition they were all members of the most important and popular choral group to interpret the Son in Havana from about 1913 to 1918, Los Apaches. By 1918 Ricardo Martinez had left the group and they recorded the Son under the name of the Orquesta Habanera de Godinez. During the 1920s the Son swept through Havana and broke many racial barriers by bringing Black music and Black musicians into employment at white middle and upper-class social and private functions. In 1925 and 1926 the Sexteto Habanero won first prize at the Concurso de Sones and became the first such group to have hit records in Cuba. They were the class act that set the standard and also the first group of its kind to be dressed in stylish uniforms. They paved the way for dozens of similar groups to perform and record in response to the public’s huge demand. The tradition and repertoire of the Sexteto Habanero has continued to this day in Cuba, with the Son group known as the Septeto Tipico Habanero, originally under the direction of Gerardo Martinez himself, until he was later replaced by Manuel Furé.