Born on 4 September 1928 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Alvarez died on 22 August 2002 in Havana, Cuba. He took up singing in childhood and appeared with several well-known local ensembles, among them the groups fronted by Reinaldo Dambay, Pancho Portuondo and Mariano Mercerón; with the last of these he shared the microphone alongside Pacho Alonso and Beny Moré. During the early 1950s he joined Moré’s orchestra in Havana and additionally performed with Roberto Espi’s Conjunto Casino. Growing acclaim led to a contract with Gema Records, where his recording of Ernesto Duarte’s “Ven Aquí A La Realidad” brought substantial success and introduced his voice to audiences abroad.
Drawing his material primarily from the classic Cuban songbook of the 1950s and 1960s, Alvarez established himself as one of the genre’s leading exponents and earned the esteem of fellow musicians. Although his strongest following stayed within Cuba, where he maintained a steady schedule of live appearances as well as radio and television broadcasts, he also traveled regularly to the USA and cultivated a loyal audience there.
