Biography
‘They were born to sing, ’ recalled Los Zafiros musical director Manuel Galbán (1931, Gibara, Cuba) of his fellow band members, ‘but they didn’t know how to live.’ Los Zafiros successfully emulated American late 50s rock ‘n’ roll and doo-wop groups while also incorporating elements of bolero, calypso, bossa nova and the rhythmic heritage of their native Cuba. Overtly inspired by groups such as the Platters and Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, the band was formed in the same year as the Cuban missile crisis by Leoncio ‘Kike’ Morúa and Miguel Cancio, a member of Facundo Rivera’s harmonising quartet. The duo was joined by tenor Ignacio Elejaldes, Eduardo ‘El Chino’ Hernández, and guitarist/pianist/musical director Manuel Galbán. That they were performing a style with American origins was apparently considered ignominious, given the crisis. Translating as the Sapphires, the band was...
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