Bebu Silvetti

Born: March 27, 1944 Died: July 5, 2003 of complications from pneumonia at the age of 59. Bebu Silvetti was of Argentine descent. His earliest known appearance on vinyl is the classic "Lluvia de Primavera" (Spring Rain). The 1977 lush instrumental was his one and only true "hit" record as an artist. The song was so popular that it was actually Salsoul Records first global hit, the label had marginal regional success with its prior releases but it was "the sensous sounds of Silvetti" that changed all that.

Born: March 27, 1944 Died: July 5, 2003 of complications from pneumonia at the age of 59. Bebu Silvetti was of Argentine descent. His earliest known appearance on vinyl is the classic "Lluvia de Primavera" (Spring Rain). The 1977 lush instrumental was his one and only true "hit" record as an artist. The song was so popular that it was actually Salsoul Records first global hit, the label had marginal regional success with its prior releases but it was "the sensous sounds of Silvetti" that changed all that. Oddly enough as with many of Salsoul's early releases their was no follow up despite the huge success of it.

His next American disco release was for the Warner Brothers subsidiary Sire Records. "Concert From The Stars" enjoyed global club success especially with "Sun After The Rain." Several more attempts at disco success would follow, but none would ever equal "Spring Rain." Besides his expert piano playing Bebu was also an arranger, conductor, and producer. In these capacities he earned his living and made his mark in the recording industry. Most of the last 35 years of his life were spent in the Miami area where he was a respected and much loved icon of the Florida recording scene.

His list of credits behind the scenes is longer than his acutal list of self-titled recordings. And the list reads like a "who's who" of the Latin music industry. His credits date back to 1989 with Larry Elgart's "Latin Obsession." In 1990 he arranged Vikki Carr's "Set Me Free." In 1991 he produced Luis Miguel's "Romance," the singers first platinum recording. 1992 saw his work with Eydie Gorme on "Eso Es El Amor" and Mijares "Maria Bonita" gain critical acclaim. 1993 was an even bigger year with his work on Alberto Cortez's "Aromas," Engelbert Humperdinck's "Yours: Quiereme Mucho," Rocio Jurado's "Como Las Alas Al Viento," Simone's "Distancia" and Maria Sorte's "Vuelve Otra Vez." 1994 brought more international success with Placido Domingo's "De Mi Alma Latina," Raphael's "Fantasia," Daniela Romo's "Cita," Selena's "Amor Prohibido" and Dionne Warwick/Placido Domingo's "Celebration In Vienna." 1995 saw a return to work with Engelbert Humperdinck on "Love Unchained." That year he also worked with Emilio Kauderer on "Journey." 1996 was another banner year for Bebu as producer for Simone on "Dos Enamoradas," Paloma San Basilio on "Simplemente Lo Mejor," Jose Luis Rodriguez on "Llamada Del Amor" and Paul Anka's "Amigos." 1997 was a light year for Silvetti with only Graciela Beltran's "Tuya" being released. 1998 found him back in full swing with producing and arranging duties for José Luis Perales, Luis Miguel, Armando Manzanero and Roberto Carlos.

1999 brought his renewed work with Marco Antonio Solis, Daniela Romo, Raphael, Placido Domingo and new work with Vic Damone and Ricardo Montaner. As the new millenium arrived Silvetti began an even bigger list of credits. In 2000 he did a various artists compilation entitled "Grammy Nominados 2000: Latino." He also forged new alliances with Alvaro Torres, Tamara, Juan Gabriel, Raúl DiBlasio and Daniel Barenboim & Milton Mascimento. 2001 was yet another rich and rewarding year for Bebu as he continued his work with Placido Domingo, Ricardo Montaner, Paloma San Basilio and Marco Antonio Solis. After that he can be seen in the credits of work by Tamara, José Luis Perales, Engelbert Humperdinck and Dyango. As nice as it was to see that he was still very much active in making music through the years one can't help but long for more of his rich and wonderful disco masterpieces. He battled cancer, but it was pneumonia what contributed to his ultimely passing. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL..