Feliciano Vierra "Flash" Tavares Sr. (October 29, 1920 – December 17, 2008) was a

Cape Verdean American Cape Verdean Americans are an ethnic group of Americans whose ancestors were Demographics of Cape Verde, Cape Verdean. In 2010, the American Community Survey stated that there were 95,003 Americans living in the US with Cape Verdean ancestors. ...

musician, singer and guitarist based in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He was the

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

of the musical Tavares family, which included the Tavares Brothers, a successful

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning 1970s and 1980s R&B band composed of five of Tavares' sons. Tavares was known professionally simply as Flash.

Early life

Tavares was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, on October 29, 1920. He was a self-taught musician who learned by listening to the radio and

Cape Verdean music Cape Verde is known internationally for '' morna'', a form of folk music usually sung in the Cape Verdean Creole, accompanied by clarinet, violin, guitar and cavaquinho. ''Funaná'', ''Coladeira'', '' Batuque'' and '' Cabo love'' are other musical ...

at an early age. Tavares, a longtime resident of

Hyannis, Massachusetts Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area at the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer t ...

, was considered to be an influential cultural figure within the

community in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and

. The father of all five members of

Tavares Tavares may refer to: Places Brazil *Tavares, Paraíba *Tavares, Rio Grande do Sul *Rodovia Raposo Tavares, the longest highway in São Paulo *Tavares Bastos (favela), a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Tavares River Jamaica *Tavares Garden ...

, whose hits included "

It Only Takes a Minute "It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by American soul/ R&B group Tavares, released as the first single from their third album, '' In the City'' (1975). The song was the group's only top-10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at number 10, a ...

" and "

Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" is a disco song written by Freddie Perren and Keni St. Lewis. It was recorded by the American band Tavares in 1976. It was released as the first single from their fourth album, '' Sky High!'' (1976), and was spl ...

", Tavares advocated for traditional Cape Verdean music. Following his death in 2008, it was noted that "Flash inspired a lot of kids to play music, and he kept the Cape Verdean musical

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

alive." Tavares remained active within the musical community well into his 80s, in spite of an early diagnosis of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

. He was able to travel to

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

and continued to perform solo until he was 84 years old. In 2007, Tavares and his sister, singer Vicki Vierra, were inducted into the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

at the Cape Verdean museum in

East Providence, Rhode Island East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,139 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. Geography East Providence is located between the Providence and Seekonk ...

Death

Feliciano "Flash" Vierra Tavares died at his home in

, on December 17, 2008, at the age of 88. He was survived by his second wife of 38 years, Grace. His first wife, Albina Gomes Tavares (1913–1981, the mother of the five Tavares brothers), and daughter, Eva Baptiste, as well as 10 siblings had predeceased him. He was also survived by three daughters Jenny Mello, Deolinda Borges, Kathleen Clarke; seven sons (including all five members of the Tavares brothers) John Baptiste, Ralph, Arthur, Antone, Victor, Feliciano Jr., and Perry Tavares; one sister, Victoria Tavares Vierra; and 53 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great grandchildren. Tavares, a 35-year member of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

community of

Barnstable, Massachusetts The Town of Barnstable ( ) is a town in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod, and is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipaliti ...

, was buried at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in

Centerville, Massachusetts Centerville is one of the seven villages in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Located on the South Side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, and includes a small business district as well as several notable beach ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavares, Feliciano Vierra 1920 births 2008 deaths Musicians from Massachusetts American musicians of Cape Verdean descent People from Hyannis, Massachusetts American Bahá'ís Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts Deaths from prostate cancer Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island Converts to the Bahá'í Faith 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís 20th-century American musicians

Early life

Death

See also

References