Jimmy Sabater (April 11, 1936 – February 8, 2012) was an American musician of Puerto Rican ancestry. A three-time winner of the ACE Awards, he was a singer and timbales player. He gained international fame thanks to his work with the Joe Cuba Sextet in the 1960s and '70s, and later became the lead singer of various groups including Charlie Palmieri's Combo Gigante. His ability to sing both in English and Spanish with equal passion and soul
earned him the title of "The Velvet Voice" of Latin music.Sabater was born Jaime Sabater Cruz González, on 11 April, 1936 in New York City of Puerto Rican parents originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico. His neighbours in the New York “barrio” were none other than Tito Puente, Luis Cruz, Willi Bobo, Monchito Munoz and other prominent Latin musicians. In that great laboratory featuring talented artists from Cuba, Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, in an atmosphere charged with the excitement of experimentation, Sabater dedicated himself to becoming a musician. He studied music, including voice and learned to play the piano and then the timbales.
A chance set of circumstances in the mid-1950s lead Sabater to join forces with another young talent on the rise in New York's Latin music scene — Joe Cuba — and Sabater became Cuba's main English-language vocalist. They played gigs in the clubs of "El Barrio", as well as upstate New York venues such as The Pines Resort.
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L-R: Jimmy Sabater, Willie Garcia, Joe Cuba |
popularity. Sabater set the standard as a Latin soul vocalist, mastering a smooth, intimate style that drew from both uptown, doo-wop street harmonies and the hushed crooning of Sinatra's ballads. His breakout hit came on "To Be With You," a bolero recorded on the Joe Cuba Sextette's 1962 album, Steppin' Out. (The song proved to be Sabater's signature tune; he even re-recorded it as a minor disco hit in 1976.)
Cuba's sextet signed with Tico Records in 1964. By showcasing the smooth vocal style of Sabater, the group had achieved tremendous fame, both in the United States and around the world. In 1966, they recorded two albums, We Must Be Doing Something Right, and Wanted Dead or Alive. …Something Right scored big because of the hit composition "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back to Georgia)". In 1967, Sabater wrote what would become the biggest hit for the Joe Cuba Sextet: "Bang Bang," a rollicking blend of R&B and Afro-Cuban rhythms that helped launch the Latin boogaloo craze of the mid/late '60s.
Mr. Sabater left the group in 1977 after a falling out with Mr. Cuba, whom he accused of taking undue credit and royalties for some hit songs. From 1977 to 1981, he was the lead vocalist for Al Levy. In 1980 Sabater recorded Gusto on the Fania Records label. In 1982, he co-led "El Combo Gigante" with Charlie Palmieri until the latter's death in 1988.
On November 12, 1997, Sabater became the recipient of an award from the City of New York for his contributions to the quality of life in the city, and in appreciation of his work since 1956. He was also the recipient of the "Outstanding Musician of the Year" award from the Comptroller of the City of New York, Alan G. Hevesi.
In 1998, Sabater became the lead vocalist of the Latin Septet "Son Boricua", led by Maestro José Mangual, Jr. Their first album, called Son Boricua, was the winner of the ACE Award as best new Latin release of that year. A second, and recently, a third ACE Award were awarded for the albums Homenaje a Cortijo y Rivera and Mo!
Later albums were Clasicos 60s, released in 2002, and Fabulosos 70s, released in 2004, which included renewals of salsa classics songs, originally by Josa Manugual Jr., Eddie Palmieri and others. Actually, in 2002 Sabater recorded two versions of the classics "Mama Guela" - one with his band Son Boricua, and one as a guest singer with Spanish Harlem Orchestra. He continued to perform until 2011 as the lead singer of Son Boricua, and resided in the Bronx until the time of his passing due to complications from heart disease February 8th, 2012, aged 75.
(Edited mainly from Wikipedia & NPR.Inc)