The story of the Buena Vista Social Club dates back 1930s and 1940s Havana, Cuba. It was a fraternal social club where local musicians could gather to play, dance, and have fun with all sorts of activities. At the time, fraternal clubs were very popular in Cuban society and there were a variety of them available to the public including clubs for cigar wrappers, athletes, doctors, business leaders, among others.

At the time, there was little money for musicians, so the musicians typically performed there mostly for the love of the music. Notable musicians that played there during the era include the prolific composer and band leader Arsenio Rodríguez, the great bassist Cachao López, and piano player Rubén González. The club was at the forefront of the development of traditional Cuban music like the charanga, mambo, rumba, and son styles of music. It was shut down shortly after the Cuban revolution around 1959.

The resurgence of the Buena Vista Social Club would not occur until 1996. World music producer Nick Gold and American guitarist Ry Cooder were set to record an album consisting of a collaboration of two African musicians and Cuban musicians. Upon arrival, Cooder was to discover that the African musicians could not make the recording session due to visa problems. So they instead decided to record a more traditional Cuban son album with the local musicians.

Within days, they assembled a large group of musicians spanning several generations, many of who were now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s to record the album. At that time, Ibrahim Ferrer was shining shoes for cash, Rubén González suffered from arthritis and didn’t even have a piano, and many others who frequented the club had settled into a quiet life. Notable musicians not yet mentioned that joined the project were guitarist Eliades Ochoa, bassist Orlando “Cachaito” López, trumpet player Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal, laúd player “Barbarito” Torres, timbales player Amadito Valdés, and singers Compay Segundo, Manuel “Puntillita” Licea, Pio Leyva, and Omara Portuondo, among others.

The album was a revival of forgotten songs that the musicians enjoyed playing from back in the day. They even recorded at EGREM Studios in Havana with an atmosphere left untouched since the 1950s with original instruments and equipment. The album was finished in only 6 days, and to everyone’s surprise, became an international sensation and has sold over 8 million copies! It won a Grammy award and launched the members into stardom.

Shortly after the album, a documentary was filmed featuring footage of recording sessions, interviews with the charming musicians at various Havana locations, and film of the only two concerts that were performed by the original lineup in Amsterdam and New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The highlight of the film is seeing the reactions of the Cuban musicians, many that had never left Cuba in their entire lives, in the middle of New York City. The documentary itself went on to have tremendous success grossing over $23,000,000.

The phenomenon of the Buena Vista Social club caused a revival of Cuban music world wide, opening up Latin American music to a new audience. It also spawned many solo spinoff albums from the various members. If you haven’t yet heard about the Buena Vista Social Club, make sure to further check out their story and music. It is the rich Cuban culture on display.