CultureObituaryIbrahim Ferrer
Ibrahim Ferrer, who has died in Havana at the age of 78, was one of greatest of all Cuban singers. A charming, remarkably humble man, he was blessed with a voice that could tackle anything from Cuba's romantic ballads, boleros, to the up-tempo improvised "son" dance songs in which he specialised in his early career.
Ferrer established his worldwide reputation late in life after a fairy-tale transformation of fortunes. In the late 1990s, he moved from impoverished retirement, in which he supplemented his pension by earning occasional extra money as an elderly shoe-shine boy or selling lottery tickets, to the concert halls of the world, first as lead male singer with the best-selling Buena Vista Social Club, and then as a soloist in his own right.
He had shown his frailty on stage in recent years but was still a fine, sensitive singer. He died soon after completing yet another European tour that featured a string of British dates, including an appearance at Kenwood House on London's Hampstead Heath at the end of last month. He had returned home to Cuba to record yet another solo album that was to be devoted exclusively to boleros, the romantic ballads that he had been rehearsing during the latest shows.
Ferrer's extraordinary switch-back career as a musician began when he started singing professionally as a teenager. He was born (so he always insisted) at a social club dance in San Luis, just outside Santiago, when his mother suddenly went into labour.
She died when he was 12 and he supported himself by working as a street vendor, carpenter and docker, before his successful move into music. At first he played with a cousin's amateur band, and then moved on to work with Santiago's Orquesta Chepin-Choven. They became popular across the island, and Ferrer was their singer at the time of their greatest hit, El Platanal de Bartolo. Moving to Havana, he worked alongside some of the country's finest singers, including the great Beny Moré, and sang with Los Bocucos, famous for their percussive dance songs.
By the early 1990s he had retired, and was living in a little flat in Havana. His life was suddenly changed thanks to the passionate Cuban music enthusiast, composer and band leader, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. It had been his idea to revive classic Cuban music styles that led to the Buena Vista Social Club, but at first the project didn't involve Ferrer. During the recording of the group's celebrated album, nine years ago, producer Ry Cooder decided that he needed someone with a softer voice to sing Dos Gardenias. Juan de Marcos said he knew just the man. According to Nick Gold, the album's executive producer, "he dashed out, and then turned up with Ibrahim. The other musicians all knew him and started playing a song from Santiago in his honour. Ibrahim just fell in with what was going on, and about five minutes later he started recording."
What followed is music history. Ferrer became a key member of the group, taking many of the male lead vocals on the album. He sang on Dos Gardenias, a bolero that he learned while working with the great Moré in the 1950s, and also took the lead on the self-composed De Camino a La Vereda, a song influenced by his strong belief in the Santeria religion. He also showed his skill on duets, notably with his female counter-part, Omara Portuondo. Both on stage, and in the Wim Wenders film of the Social Club, their songs together were show stoppers.
Along with Portuondo and several other members of the Club, he moved on to enjoy a successful solo career. He recorded two solo albums, Buenta Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer (1999) and Buenos Hermanos (2003), both produced by Cooder. The former included a classic duet with Portuendo, Silencio, while the latter included another fine slow ballad, Mil Congojas.
On stage, he was a dapper figure, always sporting a moustache and slouch hat and surrounded by some of Cuba's finest musicians, from Manuel Galban on guitar to bass player Cachaito Lopez. Nick Gold described his work as "the most beautiful singing I'd ever heard. He was the last of the classic bolero singers, but he could also handle up-tempo, improvised material. A very rare talent."
Ferrer sold between 6 and 7 million albums, either with the Buena Vista or as a soloist, but said his "dream" was to record the boleros album. Later this year he had planned another extensive European tour, which was to include a show at London's Barbican in October. Following the earlier deaths of Buena Vista pianist Ruben Gonzalez and singer/guitarist Compay Segundo, this marks the end of a classic era in Cuban music.
· Ibrahim Ferrer, singer and composer, born February 20 1927; died August 6 2005
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