Ibrahim Ferrer
Ibrahim Ferrer’s musical career was part and parcel of the history of 20th Century Cuba. Born in 1927, and orphaned at age 13, Ferrer loved music but had to focus on survival throughout much of his youth. He joined his cousin’s group, Los Jovenes del Son, and performed with other Santiago-based bands such as Beny More and Pancho Alonso. Ferrer loved boleros (romantic ballads) the most, but was often called upon to sing more up-beat music. Alonso’s band Los Bocucos moved to Havana in 1959 after the revolution, and Ferrer stayed with the group in various capacities over the next several decades. Los Bocucos toured Europe and the Soviet Union in 1962, and were stranded for a time in Moscow during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Upon his return, Ferrer once again had to contend with daily survival and while he continued to perform, he also took a number of odd jobs to support his growing family. Ferrer officially retired in 1991, living on his state pension. Fast-forward to 1996, when the Cuban musician Juan de Marcos Gonzalez was teaming up with the American musician Ry Cooder to record a series of music sessions. Cooder was looking to add slower bolero music to the album, and Gonzalez suggested they seek out Ibrahim Ferrer. Along with other veteran Cuban musicians such as Ruben Gonzalez and Compay Segundo, Ibrahim created a stellar album that was released in 1997 as The Buena Vista Social Club. Ferrer went on to record a solo album with Cooder which earned him a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. The documentary of the recording sessions, also called The Buena Vista Social Club earned an Academy Award nomination in 2000. Newly rediscovered, Ibrahim Ferrer kept recording and touring until his death in 2005.
