Felix Baloy

Felix Baloy

Felix Baloy is a Cuban singer, sonero and percussionist from Mayarí, Cuba. Born in 1944, he is associated with folk and traditional Cuban music and is known in Cuba for a run of hits in the 1970s.

Career

Baloy is regarded as one of the important soneros of the 1970s and 1980s. He works both as a solo artist and as a vocalist with a range of Cuban groups. His group work includes Chappottín y Sus Estrellas, Revé and Adalberto Álvarez y su Son. He is also one of the original members of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and later sings with them as well as with Félix Baloy y su Cuban All Stars.

Recordings

He has at least three solo albums: Baila Mi Son, Un Poquito de Fé and Un Solo Amor. He also appears on the compilation Café Cubano, produced by Putumayo World Music.

Style and themes

Baloy's music carries a message of speaking out for freedom and individual rights, and it is presented as a response to colonialism. As a sonero and percussionist, his work is rooted in Cuban vocal and rhythmic traditions.