Raul Malo and his band the Mavericks played at the London Palladium in 2024, at what would be his last-ever British appearance. Cheered on by a capacity crowd, he showed why he had enjoyed enormous global success in a career lasting for over three decades, why he had won so many awards, why his music was so hard to define – and also why he had received scathing reviews from some music critics.

Here, after all, was a Cuban-American singer-songwriter and guitarist with a fabulous voice and impressive range – he had often been compared to Roy Orbison – who was backed by an equally versatile band. But their performance was a curious mix. There were songs that provided a brave and rousing fusion of Latin, country, rockabilly and pop, but also patches in which they veered towards cabaret.

The set included a cover of the Rogers and Hart standard Blue Moon, Malo’s gloriously cheerful Latin-pop hit Dance the Night Away, and his most commercially successful country song, All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down. His devoted followers responded by giving the singer a standing ovation.

Malo was on impressive form, but the concert came just two months before he announced that he was receiving treatment for colon cancer. He continued to document his health problems on social media, and in September this year he disclosed that the cancer had spread. He has died, aged 60, just a few days after two tribute concerts celebrating his music were held in Nashville, where he lived for many years.

The son of immigrants who had left Cuba for Miami, Malo grew up listening to Latin styles, rockabilly and country, and formed the Mavericks in 1989 along with the drummer Paul Deakin and bassist Robert Reynolds. The band lived up to their name, for they created a unique style of American music. They started out playing in punk and rock clubs in Miami, and after releasing a self-titled debut set were signed to MCA. Their album From Hell to Paradise (1992) was influenced by the stories of those who had left Castro’s Cuba.

Their fusion style soon proved to be a success. Now based in Nashville, Malo co-wrote every song on What a Crying Shame (1994), which became a platinum bestseller, with the title track nominated for a Grammy. The following year the band won best country performance by a duo or group with vocal with their country-pop weepie Here Comes the Rain. It was taken from the album Music for All Occasions (1995) which was nominated for the best country album Grammy. The album also included Blue Moon and All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down, which featured the Tex-Mex accordion star Flaco Jiménez. Released as a single, it reached No 13 in the US country charts.

Their 1998 album Trampoline kicked off with the massively popular Dance the Night Away, but Malo decided to take a break, citing “a general unhappiness” in the band. The Mavericks disbanded in 2000, but reunited to record a new album in 2003, then a live album the following year, before breaking up again.

In his time away from the Mavericks, Malo released solo projects including El Cancionero de la Familia Vol 1 (2002), an all-Spanish album for children, that included vocals from his wife, Betty, mother, Norma, and sister, Carol.

He also joined Los Super Seven, a collective supergroup featuring constantly changing personnel. On Canto (2001) he played in a lineup that included Cesar Rosas and Steve Berlin from Los Lobos, along with the country singer Rick Trevino, while on the Tex-Mex-influenced Heard It On the X (2005) the personnel included the country stars Lyle Lovett and Joe Ely. In 2003 he produced Trevino’s album In My Dreams.

The Mavericks re-formed in 2011, and continued to record and tour. The comeback album In Time (2013) was followed by Mono (2015), which won yet another Grammy nomination. They finally won a Grammy, in the Americana category, for Brand New Day (2017).

Malo now began to experiment. A covers album Play the Hits (2019) was followed by the Mavericks’ first all-Spanish album En Espanöl (2020), and during Covid he began recording his first all-instrumental solo album. Say Less (2023) showcased his guitar work, with music inspired by the sights and sounds of his Miami childhood.

He was born in Miami, to Norma (nee Martinez) and Raul Malo Sr, who had moved to the US from Cuba in the early 1960s. Raul attended Christopher Columbus high school, but developed much of his eclectic musical taste at home. “I grew up in a household where we listened to all kinds of music”, he said. “I just remember it was a celebration of all these cultures”.

He never forgot his immigrant roots. Talking to Rolling Stone magazine in 2017, he complained bitterly about President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban that blocked citizens of seven mostly Middle Eastern countries from entering the US. ‘I’ve never in my life known an immigrant that has come to this country to do anything but work hard’, said Malo, adding: “It’s a Muslim ban and it’s mired in racism.”

He is survived by Betty (nee Fernandez), whom he married in 1991, and their sons, Dino, Victor and Max, and by his mother and sister.

• Raul Malo (Raul Francisco Martinez-Malo Jnr), singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer, born 7 August 1965; died 8 December 2025