Ferrer was barn in a 1927 at a social dance club where his mother went into labour during a night out. At age 13, Ferrer joined his first band, "Los Jóvenes del Son" before moving onto "Conjunto Sopresa", then the "Orquesta Chepín Chovén" onto the "Beny Moré" orchestra and a few more. It wasn't until moving to Havana from Santiago with a band that called itself "Los Bocucos" that Ferrer decided he was in the right place. However, while he loved to sing slow, romantic boleros, he mostly stuck to uptempo numbers because that was the style of his band. 

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It was not until 1997, at the age of 70, that Ferrer was "picked up by an angel" and shot into the spotlight. He was convinced by Ry Cooder to be part of his album "Buena Vista Social Club" which shot Ferrer into fame with songs like "Dos Gardenias". At 70, Ferrer won a Latin Grammy for best new artist. 

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Touring up to the last week of his life, Ferrer, and the Buena Vista Social Club, was a beloved musical snapshot of a world unknown to the rest of the world. Ferrer died at 78 due to multiple organ failure. He was outlived by his wife, Caridad Dias, his 6 children and 14 great-grandchildren. 

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