Also known as El Gran Fellové | Instruments Vocals | |
Birth name Francisco Fellové Valdés Born October 7, 1923
Havana, Cuba ( 1923-10-07 ) Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, jeweler Associated acts Niño Rivera, Bebo Valdés, Julio Gutiérrez, Conjunto Batamba, Conjunto Habana Died 15 February 2013, Mexico City, Mexico Albums Perlas Cubanas: Afro-Cubano y Tropical Genres Guaracha, Bolero, Son cubano, Cha-cha-cha Record labels RCA Records, Panart, Discos Musart, Areito Similar Orquesta Amistad, Bobby Montez, Jaime Delgado Aparicio, Gilberto Cruz, Conexion Latina | ||
Francisco Fellové Valdés (October 7, 1923 – February 15, 2013), also known as El Gran Fellové (The Great Fellové), was a Cuban songwriter and singer. A prolific composer of the feeling generation, he is well known for his particular style of scat singing known as chua chua. He is the author of the famous guaracha-pregón "Mango mangüé", recorded by Machito and Celia Cruz among others. He was the cousin of conga drummer Carlos "Patato" Valdés.
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Life and career
Fellové was born on October 7, 1923, in the neighbourhood of Colón, Havana, Cuba. He started his musical career as a songwriter, primarily of guarachas, but also of boleros such as "Dos caminos", which he wrote for Olga Guillot. Together with other authors of boleros, sones, canciones and guarachas, he became part of the so-called filin movement, where the descarga format began to develop. Soon, several of his guarachas became very popular, especially "Para que tú lo bailes", "Sea como sea" and "Mango mangué". The latter, which he composed when he was only 17 years old, was recorded by numerous artists including Miguelito Valdés, Machito and his Afro-Cubans featuring Charlie Parker, Celia Cruz with La Sonora Matancera, Tito Puente, and Johnny Pacheco, as well as Fellové himself. Based on the fast tempo of his guarachas, which he termed "chua chua", Fellové developed a scat singing technique together with fellow vocalist Dandy Crawford.
In 1952, Fellové took part in some of the descargas (jam sessions) directed by Julio Gutiérrez at Panart Studios in Havana (released in 1956). In December 1955 he moved to Mexico with fellow filin songwriter José Antonio Méndez and joined the cha-cha-cha group Conjunto Batamba. In 1956 he met Mexican promoter and head of RCA Victor in Mexico Mariano Rivera Conde, who gave him the nickname "El Gran Fellové", kickstarting his solo career. Among his first solo recordings for RCA Victor were "Mango mangüé", Niño Rivera's "El jamaiquino" and "Azul pintado de azul", backed by Lobo y Melón. In 1957, RCA Victor released an LP of Fellové's recordings entitled El Gran Fellové.
In the 1960s, Fellové switched from RCA Victor to Musart, releasing Watusi in 1966. Fellové continued to record and perform in Mexico, the US and throughout Latin America. He played with Tito Puente and Machito in New York City. In 2002 he recorded a cover version of "Walking on the Moon".
Fellové died on February 15, 2013, in Mexico City.
Discography
Songs
Watussi
Baila Mi Guapachá
La Bola