HAVANA – Pio Leyva, a singer and composer in the Buena Vista Social Club band of veteran Cuban musicians, died on Thursday of a heart attack.
Leyva, who won a bongo contest at the age of six and made his singing debut in 1932, was 88. The colourful improviser of traditional Cuban “son” music was the latest of the famed band’s stars to pass away.Its oldest member, guitarist Compay Segundo, and pianist Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003, aged 95 and 84.Singer Ibrahim Ferrer died last year at the age of 78.The largely forgotten musicians saw their careers suddenly relaunched when they recorded a jam session with guitarist Ry Cooder in 1996 that became the award-winning ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ album.The recording rekindled world interest in traditional Cuban music.Buena Vista was the name of a seniors-only social club in a western Havana neighbourhood.Leyva, born in 1917 in Moron in central Cuba, had a deep, country voice and was well known by the 1950s for singing in the bands of Cuban greats Benny More and Bebo Valdez.”Music was his life.He almost sang yesterday,” daughter Rosalia said at his wake on Thursday.- Nampa-ReutersThe colourful improviser of traditional Cuban “son” music was the latest of the famed band’s stars to pass away.Its oldest member, guitarist Compay Segundo, and pianist Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003, aged 95 and 84.Singer Ibrahim Ferrer died last year at the age of 78.The largely forgotten musicians saw their careers suddenly relaunched when they recorded a jam session with guitarist Ry Cooder in 1996 that became the award-winning ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ album.The recording rekindled world interest in traditional Cuban music.Buena Vista was the name of a seniors-only social club in a western Havana neighbourhood.Leyva, born in 1917 in Moron in central Cuba, had a deep, country voice and was well known by the 1950s for singing in the bands of Cuban greats Benny More and Bebo Valdez.”Music was his life.He almost sang yesterday,” daughter Rosalia said at his wake on Thursday.- Nampa-Reuters
