Issac Delgado (born Isaac Felipe Delgado-Ramírez on 11 April 1962) is a Cuban singer associated with salsa and timba. Born in Marianao, Havana, he became known as a vocalist with NG La Banda in the late 1980s before forming his own group in 1991 and pursuing a solo career.

Early life and family Delgado's father, Luis Delgado, was a tailor and his mother, Lina Ramirez, was an actress, dancer and singer in the Teatro Musical de La Habana. At age ten, Delgado entered the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, where he studied cello. He left the conservatory two years later and pursued sports, particularly football, before later completing studies in physical education.

At age 18, Delgado joined the group Proyecto at the invitation of pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. He subsequently studied vocal technique with Mariana De Gonitch and enrolled at the Ignacio Cervantes school for professional musicians.

Career

Early career (1983–1987) Delgado began working professionally in 1983 with Pacho Alonso's orchestra, with which he toured internationally. He later performed as a soloist at the Hotel Capri before joining the group Galaxia in 1987, with which he toured in Panama and Colombia.

NG La Banda (1988–1991) In 1988, Delgado joined NG La Banda as a vocalist. The group was an early exponent of timba, and Delgado became widely known during his three years with the band. He appeared on the albums No Te Compliques (1988), En la Calle (1989) and No Puede Tapar el Sol (1990), and toured extensively with the group. NG La Banda received a Premio EGREM in 1990–1991 during his tenure.

Solo career (1991–2005) In 1991, Delgado formed his own band. His solo debut Dando La Hora, was released in 1992 with Gonzalo Rubalcaba as musical director and won a Premio EGREM that year. His second album, Con Ganas (1993), again involved Rubalcaba and received two EGREM awards, for best dance album and as a critics' favorite.

In 1994, Delgado's album El Chévere de la Salsa y el Caballero del Son, recorded with Adalberto Álvarez, received a Premio EGREM. He followed it with El Año Que Viene in 1995 and toured internationally, including performances in New York at Madison Square Garden alongside artists including Celia Cruz. Delgado recorded Otra Idea in New York, releasing it in 1997, and continued touring that year, including an appearance at the Guerra de la Salsa festival in Peru.

From 1996, Delgado's band included Alain Pérez, who later became its musical director, and pianist Iván “Melón” Lewis. Lewis relocated to Spain in 1998 after travelling there with Delgado's group.

Later career (2006–present) In late 2006, Delgado left Cuba and settled in Florida, where he began recording a new album with producer Sergio George. En Primera Plana was released in May 2007, followed by Así Soy in 2008. In 2011, he collaborated with La India on the single "Que No Se Te Olvide", which was released in several versions. In 2019, Delgado released Lluvia y Fuego, an album recorded in Havana and New York that included tributes to Benny Moré and Cheo Feliciano.

In 2021, Delgado collaborated with Alain Pérez and Orquesta Aragón on Cha Cha Chá: Homenaje a lo tradicional, which won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album. He released the album Mira como vengo in May 2025. The album later received the Gran Premio Cubadisco in 2026, as well as awards in the contemporary dance music and controlled-environment sound design categories.

Varadero Josone Festival Delgado created the Varadero Josone: Rumba, Jazz & Son festival in 2018. Held in Varadero, the festival features Cuban and international performers across genres including son, rumba, jazz, salsa, timba and urban music. Delgado served as president of the festival in 2019 and was listed as its general director for the 2025 edition.

Musical style During his solo career, Delgado worked with both New York salsa musicians and Cuban timba musicians. His recordings from this period combined elements of salsa and timba, and some also incorporated jazz influences. Delgado's recordings from the 1990s often combined salsa-oriented arrangements with elements associated with timba.

His 1994 song “La Sandunguita”, composed by bassist Alain Pérez, used unusual approaches to clave that differed from more traditional salsa conventions. Iván “Melón” Lewis's piano part of Delgado's “No me mires a los ojos” became an example of the use of distinctive piano tumbaos as recognizable melodic hooks in timba. Moore identifies Lewis's use of interlocking left- and right-hand figures as one of the innovations associated with his style. On "La temática", Lewis used pattern displacement in the piano guajeo, including repeated octaves that create metric ambiguity.

Discography +With NG La BandaYearTitleRef1988No te compliques1989En la calle1990No se puede tapar el sol +Solo and collaborative releasesYearTitleNotes1992Dando la hora1993Con ganas1994El chévere de la salsa y el caballero de sonWith Adalberto Álvarez1995El año que viene1997Otra ideaExclusivo para Cuba1998La primera noche2000La fórmulaGrandes éxitosCompilation2002Versos en el cielo2005Prohibido2007En primera plana2008Así soy2010L.O.V.E.2011Supercubano"Que No Se Te Olvide"Single with La India2019Lluvia y fuego2021Cha Cha Chá: Homenaje a lo tradicionalCollaborative album with Alain Pérez and Orquesta Aragón2025Mira como vengo

Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef2008Grammy AwardsBest Tropical Latin AlbumEn Primera Plana Nominated2010Grammy AwardsBest Tropical Latin AlbumAsí Soy Nominated2021Latin Grammy AwardsBest Traditional Tropical AlbumCha Cha Chá: Homenaje a lo tradicional Won2025Latin Grammy AwardsBest Salsa AlbumMira Como Vengo Nominated2026CubadiscoGran Premio CubadiscoMira como vengo Won

References