I want to share three 45s – all covers – by a Panamanian vocalist whose voice simply makes me happy – Raul “Beby” (or Baby) Santizo. Beby sang with Los Flamantes de Puerto Armuelles starting in 1970 – Puerto Armuelles being an important deep water port surrounded by a Banana growing region in the Chiriquí province, on the Pacific coast of Panamá near the border with Costa Rica.
Los Flamantes recorded a number of 45s in Panamá and an LP that was released in Costa Rica, and were directed by Trumpet player Margio Castillo. Other musicians included Singers Carlos McDonald, Ernesto “Leo Cobra” Rodríguez, Catalino “Catingo” Quintero, Ernesto Barrantes on Batería y Timbales, Gerardo Centeno on bass, Luis “Lucho” Miranda on guitar, Ricardo “Rica” Barrantes on piano and Porfirio “Pompo” Aparicio on the tumbadoras.
They seem to have morphed into Conjunto los Magneticos at some point, and an article online (with few details otherwise) notes that they toured Central America in 1972.
The first song presented here is “Quiero Decirte que te Extraño” on sello Onda Nueva, a (super Soul and Funkdified) cover of “Quiero Decirte que te Extraño Siempre” as composed by María De Los Ángeles Rodríguez and sung by Brazil’s Altemar Dutra:
Next is Beby and Los Magneticos “No Quiero Estar Solo”, a cover of “Just Don’t Want to be Lonely” by Main Ingredient:
Finally, here is “Un Bello Sueño de Amor”, a cover of “Lovin You” by Minnie Riperton. Already made my day better just listening to this =)
