Hialeah singer and guitarist Ricky Valido is putting a Cuban spin on country music, drawing on the guajira folk style he first heard on his grandfather’s records. His newest album, “Dear Everglades,” is a 16-song project inspired by the Everglades and the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes he has performed for.
Valido recorded the vocals on his smartphone at the park itself, and he gathered field recordings of birds, animals and moving water. He then took those tapes to Nashville, where a studio musician helped him lay down the instrumentals in a single day. One track, “Haapahneh,” is all instrumental and features him on Native American flute with acoustic guitar.
Valido has already played two release shows. On Oct. 30 he performed two acoustic sets at a Tropical Audubon Society fundraiser for a Rescue the River of Grass town hall, where speakers including Ron Magill addressed the park’s future.
His next show is a bigger one. On Friday, Nov. 27, he will perform with his five-piece band, The Hialeah Hillbillies, at Churchill’s Pub in Miami, starting at 8 p.m. The concert is free with an RSVP through Bandsintown, and Valido plans to film it and record a live album.
He also has a third album, “Lost Lyrics,” set for release in February, along with a Southeast tour. He plans to make documentary films about the Everglades to accompany each track on “Dear Everglades.”
