Ibrahim Ferrer

Name:  Ibrahim Ferrer
Date of birth: 20 February 1927 (died 2005)
Place of birth: San Luis (Cuba)

Ferrer was an Afro-Cuban singer and songwriter in Cuba, and a member of Afro-Cuban All Stars. He’s performed with local bands including Los Jóvenes del Son, Conjunto Sorpresa, Conjunto Wilson and Pancho Alonso's Maravilla de Beltran.

Ibrahim Ferrer was born at a dance in San Luis, near Santiago de Cuba. His family roots were multiracial, including African, French, Spanish and Chinese strands. He became orphaned at the age of 12, when his mother died. After one year singing on the streets of San Luis, he joined the first music ensemble lead by his cousin. He later got married with Caridad Cachin Díaz Surida and had seven children.

Ferrer had a unique, very romantic way of singing boleros. His first major hit was in 1955, when he sang “El platanal de Bartolo” with the group of Orquesta Chepin-Choven. With his musical prospects on the rise he moved to Havana to join Beny Moré’s ensemble. The biggest success in his music career was when Ry Cooder recruited him into the Buena Vista Social Club in 1996. Sadly, Ferrer is no longer with us. In 2005 at the age of 78 he died, but his legendary, magical music lives on.

1940’s-1950’s: backing vocalist for Beny Moré and Banda Gigante.
1950’s: toured Europe with Los Bocucos,
1960’s: retired from musical career
1990’s: performed with Buena Vista Social Club,
1999: star of Wim Wenders' documentary, Buena Vista Social Club
1999: Ry Cooder recorded Ferrer’s first solo album
2000: at the age of 72 he won a Latin Grammy for the “Best New Artist”

Discography:
1960    Mis tiempos con Chepín y su Orquesta Oriental
1973    Recording withLos Bocucos
1999    Buena Vista Social Club presents: Ibrahim Ferrer, World Circuit
2000    Tierra Caliente: Roots of Buena Vista
2002    Mis Tiempos Con Chepín
2002    Chepin y su Orquestra, Edenways, Egrem
2002    La Collección Cubana, Nascente, Cuba
2003    Buenos Hermanos, Nonesuch
2004    Que Bueno Está
2004    El Dandy
2005    Ay, Candela
2006    The essential Ibrahim Ferrer, Manteca, Cuba
2006    Rhythms Del Mundo
2007    Mi Sueño, World Circuit
 

by Zsuzsa Melkvi
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About the Author: Zsuzsa Melkvi is a salsa dancer and teacher, having competed in Latin-American and Standard dances from 1995-1998. She is also the founder of Baila Cuba (www.bailacuba.hu), a Dance company focused on giving exclusively pure Afro-Cuban workshops in Hungary. Zsuzsa holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Hertfordshire.