Gato Pérez

Xavier Patricio Pérez Álvarez (April 11, 1951 – October 18, 1990), known as Gato Pérez, was a musician of Argentine origin who settled in Catalonia. He stood out in the Catalan rumba musical genre, which he merged with salsa and an original style. He was a singer, composer, and bass guitarist.

Biography Although he was born in Buenos Aires, Pérez came from Spanish families that had emigrated after the civil war. His paternal grandparents were from Asturias and La Rioja; and his maternal grandparents were from León and Burgos. In Madrid, his paternal grandfather owned a fleet of cabs for the diplomatic corps. At the beginning of the war, he fled to Barcelona, where he worked in a Russian aeronautical factory and then went to the refugee camps in the south of France. After falling ill with tuberculosis, Pérez's grandfather returned to his right-wing family in Barcelona. In 1948, his father emigrated to Buenos Aires, where he met Pérez's mother, who was a pianist.

Gato Pérez was born in Buenos Aires. He grew up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood and was educated in a bilingual school attended by the children of the industrial and financial bourgeoisie of Buenos Aires, whom he detested. His first introduction to music was through his grandfather, listening to the radio together. It was the radio that introduced him to the rock and roll of Bill Haley and His Comets, which was a complete epiphany for Pérez. His first performance was at the English school prom playing "Claudette" and "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers. Rock and roll had arrived much earlier in Argentina than in Spain, and the Argentine musicians learned to rock much earlier than the Spaniards did, which would be decisive for the fact that it was the same Argentines who introduced fresh, Hispanic rock during the Transition. Before arriving in Spain, Pérez was part of a music group, ("The Rude Boys") and, upon arriving in Barcelona, he continued with the rock group ("The Savages") and .

In 1977, he began experimenting with Catalan rumba and later released his first two albums (Carabruta and Romesco), followed by the more commercial ("Watchtower"). According to Carlos Flaviá, "An Argentine prophet had to come to unite the gypsies here."

In 1981, Pérez suffered a heart attack and began to have serious health problems. The fatigue caused by his heart problems forced him to give up alcohol. His following albums were composed, in his own words, "under the effects of mineral water."

Pérez has been recognized as the a rejuvenating force of Catalan rumba, exactly at the time when it was going through its lowest period due to the strength of La Movida Madrileña. Pérez stands out in lyrical quality the fusion he achieved between rumba and other contemporary popular music styles, such as rock, salsa, or even bolero.

According to the artist himself: The Catalan rumba is the characteristic and original music of urban Barcelona. It was born from a marginalized but deeply-rooted and distinctly Barcelona community and has a very attractive signature, somewhere between gypsy, flamenco and Central American, which cannot be compared to any known genre.

Discography

With Secta Sónica

Fred Pedralbes (1976) (Reissued in CD and digital format by Picap 2010) Astroferia (1977) (Reissued in CD and digital format by Picap 2010)

Guitars: Jordi Bonell, Rafael Zaragoza ("Zarita") and Víctor Cortina. Bass: Javier Patricio "Gato" Pérez. Drums: Toni Arasil and Jordi Vilella.

As Gato Perez

Carabruta (1978) Romesco (1979; re-released in CD and digital format by Picap, 2007) Atalaya (1981) Prohibido maltratar a los gatos (1982) Flaires de Barcelunya (1982) Música (1983) Ke imbenten ellos (1984) Gato x Gato (1986; reissued in CD and digital format by Picap, 2003) La rubia del bar (1986; reissued in digital format by Picap, 2003) Ten (1987; reissued in CD and digital format by Picap, 2003) Fenicia (1990) Sabor de barrio (compilation, 1991)

Collaborations

Tocats de Nadal - collective album (1988)

Tributes to Gato Pérez

Orquesta Platería: Gatísimo (2002) Miscellaneous: El gran Gato, soundtrack of the film El gran Gato, directed by Ventura Pons (2003). Derrumband: & Los Amigos de Siempre (2011) Derrumband: A Barcelunya (2017). Tribute album to the LP Flaires de Barcelunya

Notable songs

"Ja soc aquí" "Viejos automóviles" "La rumba de Barcelona" "El ventilador" "Rumba del's 60" "Todos los gatos son Pardos" "La curva del Morrot" "Gitanitos y morenos" "Se fuerza la máquina" "La rumba de aquí" "Luna brava" "Quise ser tu amigo" "El mismo de antes"