Ibrahim Ferrer was born at a social club dance on February 20, 1927 in San Luis, a town near Santiago, Cuba. His mother died when he was twelve years old, and Ibrahim was forced to earn his own living singing on the streets of Santiago.
At age thirteen, he formed his first musical group with his cousin. They called themselves the Jóvenes del Son (Young Men of Son), and performed at local private parties. Before long they attracted the attention of some of Santiago’s musicians and Ibrahim was called to sing with a succession of bands, most notably the Conjunto Wilson, Conjunto Sorpresa and Marabilla Beltran. Later he sang with Santiago’s finest dance orchestra, Orquesta Chepín-Chovín, a very influential jazz group lead by the composer Electo Rosell (known artistically as Chepín). Rosell composed one of Ibrahim’s biggest hits “El Platanal de Bartolo.”
By the 1950s he was established as the singer with Pacho Alonso’s group, in Santiago, and was able to concentrate on music full time. Alonso’s band moved to Havana in 1959, and Ferrer stayed with that group for more than twenty years. By the 1970s, the group had become known as Los Bocucos and pioneered the pilón rhythm, which was reputedly based on the sound of pounding the coffee beans.
With Los Bocucos, Ferrer’s work consisted mainly of guarachas, sones and up-tempo numbers, although Ibrahim yearned to sing boleros. He enjoyed some popularity with songs such as Mi Quimbón and El Platanal de Bartolo, but he would have to wait nearly forty years to record a bolero worthy of his considerable talents as a bolero singer. That song, Dos Gardenias by Isolina Carrillo, is featured on the Buena Vista Social Club recording.
When a bolero singer of the old school was required for the World Circuit [the British label that produced the Buena Vista Social Club recordings] sessions in 1996. Ibrahim Ferrer was literally plucked off the streets of Havana where he was taking his daily walk. During the sessions he took part in the Afro Cuban All Stars‘ acclaimed recording A Toda Cuba Le Gusta and is one of the main soneros on the million-selling album Buena Vista Social Club, produced by Ry Cooder.
Whereas the other stars from the Buena Vista sessions had originally some fame both in and outside of Cuba, Ibrahim Ferrer had never been recognized in his own right. He emerged as the one true discovery of the sessions. Always regarded as a musician’s musician, Ibrahim Ferrer was given the chance to display his great talent in both the rural Santiago and urban Havana traditions. Ibrahim Ferrer’s debut album, produced by Ry Cooder, was released worldwide by World Circuit-Nonesuch Records.
He played a starring role in Wim Wenders’ documentary The Buena Vista Social Club. “I pinch myself all the time,” Ibrahim said at the time. “It is a dream come true. When I was younger I thought I was going to travel the world with my music. The only chance I got was when I came to Europe in 1962. Then there was the missile crisis. I played in Paris and Eastern Europe with Pacho Alonso’s orchestra and then I was stuck in Europe. I had to stay until everything settled down again before I could go home. Then nothing happened for thirty-five years. This has given me the will to live. I’m living the dream of my youth in the body of an old man.”
In 2003, Buenos Hermanos came out. Produced by Ry Cooder, it was the highly anticipated follow-up to Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer, which has sold over 1.5 million copies and topped the world music charts in countries around the world. The album won Ferrer the Best New Artist award at the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards.
The new album found Ferrer at the height of his energy and playfulness. He navigated a broad range of songs, backed by a dream band that includes Ry Cooder (guitars), Manuel Galban (guitars, piano, organ), Orlando Cachaito Lopez (bass), Miguel Anga Diaz (congas), Jim Keltner and Joachim Cooder (drums and percussion). Pianist Chucho Valdés, accordion legend Flaco Jiménez, trumpet player Jon Hassell and the Blind Boys of Alabama all make guest appearances. Buenos Hermanos was primarily recorded at the legendary Egrem Studios in Havana.
Ibrahim Ferrer lived in Old Havana where the centerpiece of his living room was an altar to Saint Lazarus, or Babalú-ayé, one of the African / Catholic saints of Cuba’s Santeria religion. His shrine was decorated with candles, fairy lights, and fresh flowers every day.
“I was born in Santiago de Cuba (1927). I liked the tango very much. I was a kid when Alberto Gómez came once to Havana. He performed on a radio program and sang ‘En un beso la vida’ I remember that. I like to sing the tango because I watched a lot of films by Libertad Lamarque, Jorge Negrete, they were very popular in Santiago. When I started as a professional it was the “son.” I have always sung the “son”, because I was born in a ball, in the first place, and later there were balls in my house. My grandfather was the president of two societies in Santiago, one was called Club Aponte, where I was almost born, and the other one was El Cocuyo, which still exists. I was raised in music. We played the rumba at the corner of my street when I was a child, which is why I was devoted to the “son”.
“I used to sing tangos and boleros, but when I started, when I performed with three or four groups, I sang the “son”. The first (group) was Los Jovenes del Son. A cousin of mine told me: I am going to make you a musician. He signed a contract to play on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1941. We earned 1.50 (pesos) and got drunk, because we believed we had won the world. In late 1952, I began performing with Pacho Alonso. With Chepin in 1956 I recorded El platanal de Bartolo, which sort of made me famous. Always singing dance music, they never let me sing boleros. I loved to sing boleros. In 1957 I came to Havana and in 1958 I worked with Benny Moré at the Ali Bar. I began working with them through an agreement, because there was not much work and I had a family. Chepin was the orchestra that worked most, he needed me and I was transferred.
When I came to Havana I lived in dire straits until I began working with Benny. When the Revolution triumphed in 1959, Pacho regrouped his orchestra again and I began singing with him until late 1967. I did the falsetto. I did the first or the second voice or the falsetto. Carlos Kerol did most second voices with Pacho, and I sang a lot with him, we were a duet. Pacho’s was the first group with which I traveled abroad, in 1962. We participated in the L’Humanite Festival, in Paris; afterwards we went to Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. Then Pacho left the group, we were so heartbroken. I stayed with Los Bocucos as the main vocalist, but they never let me sing boleros. I recorded only one bolero with them, and we had so many records. They did not give me credit either, but my numbers were hits. I got tired and retired in 1991.
In 1993, I was at home shining a pair of white shoes and Juan de Marcos came by with Roberto Correa, who had been my director. They asked me if I wanted to make a recording and I told them that I was tired. And he tells me, Don’t do that to me. I came here looking for you because you are the only person that can get me out of trouble. His project consisted of a recording with several singers. He had already recorded with Pio Leyva, Puntillita, Tito Gomez, Planas and he needed another one, and he was told, ‘Get Ibrahim, he used to sing with Los Bocucos’. We went straight to the studio and there I found Ruben González, Eliades Ochoa, and Compay Segundo, who I met for the first time, because although we both were from Santiago, I did not know him.
Puntillita was there. He began humming a song entitled Candela, composed by Faustino Oramas, and I began singing and playing. Ry Cooder and Nick Gold were in the cabin. I had neither met them or knew who they were. Ry Cooder clicked; it seems the cabin was open. He listened to me and liked what he heard. He called me and told me that if I wanted to record that song, and I said yes. I had gone there with Juan de Marcos to record a song entitled Maria Caracoles with Afrocuba. Well, I said yes to Ry Cooder and I recorded the song. From then on I was enthusiastic. Ruben, who was very restless at the piano, began playing and I did the same. I got emotional when I saw the piano. I sang Dos Gardenias para ti and on. I began singing Dos gardenias (by Isolina Carrillo) and Ry Cooder recorded it. It was that way that I joined, without being in the project, because I was not part of the Buenavista (Social Club) project. I recorded four songs. Afterwards, came the tours, the Grammy. I did not know what the Grammy was, and I was told it is an award. I liked it a lot. I am still here, singing, and I will continue to sing as long as I have strength.”
Ibrahim Ferrer died August 6, 2005, at CIMEQ hospital in Havana (Cuba).
World Circuit Records released a special edition of Ibrahim Ferrer’s Buenos Hermanos album in 2020. Producer Ry Cooder re-mixed the whole album and added four previously unheard tracks from the original album sessions.
“It’s better than ever, if I may say,” said producer Ry Cooder about the new mixes. “We went back into the session tapes and found songs that were overlooked for some reason, and you’re going to be as thrilled as I am. We’ve really polished it up and improved it and expanded it, it sounds almost brand new. There’s one thing for sure: we need something good, something beautiful in these days and times.”
Selected discography
Salsón (Siboney, 1982)
A Toda Cuba le Gusta (World Circuit, 1997)
Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit, 1997)
Buena Vista Social Club Presents: Ibrahim Ferrer (World Circuit, 1999)
Buenos Hermanos (World circuit, 2003)
Mi Sueño (World Circuit, 2006)
Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall (World Circuit, 2008)
Buenos Hermanos, Special Edition (World Circuit, 2020)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.