Jimmy Sabater
April 11, 1936 – February 8, 2012
Photo by Victoria Will
Born and raised in Spanish Harlem area of New York City, Jimmy Sabater, Sr. took a liking to the Latin music he constantly heard in and around the neighborhood. As a teenager, he was particularly moved by the what he heard coming from Tito Puente, Machito, and Willie Bobo, so he took up the timbales. He was also possessed one of the smoothest voices Latin music has ever known. By the mid ’50s, Sabater was part of a collective called the Joe Cuba Sextet who quickly found appreciative fans throughout the clubs of Harlem as well at resorts in upstate New York. The group recorded several landmark albums over the next three decades including 1966′s Wanted Dead or Alive (Bang! Bang! Push Push Push) which was the first boogaloo album to sell over 1 million copies. Sabater left Cuba’s band in 1977 and went on to sing and play for Al Levy and Eddie Palmieri, among others. He also released a handful of his own albums on the legendary Fania Records. Jimmy Sabater Sr. was 75 when he died of natural causes on February 8, 2012.
Thanks to Eric Foss at Secret Stash Records for the assist.
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