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Fania Records
Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his Brooklyn-born Italian-American ex-New York City Police Officer turned lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette frequented by musicians in Havana, Cuba that Masucci frequented when he worked for a public relations firm there during the pre-Castro era. Fania is known for its promotion of salsa music. History Frustrated by the meager amount of money he was receiving for his recordings, Johnny Pacheco started Fania in 1964 and sold records to music stores out of the trunk of his car. To help finance the business, he consolidated with his Brooklyn-born Italian lawyer and promoter Jerry Masucci, and in 1964 founded the Fania label to produce, promote and market the music of Latinos in New York. The label started out as a small venture, but gained popularity after the success of Johnny Pacheco's first official record, ''Caño ...
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Celia Cruz
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the " Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. She began her career in her native Cuba, earning recognition as a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted fifteen years (1950-1965). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son and bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles for Seeco Records. In 1960, after the Cuban Revolution caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of the symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community in ...
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Fania All-Stars
The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, an Italian-American lawyer with a love for Cuban music, and Johnny Pacheco, a flutist, percussionist and bandleader born in the Dominican Republic but raised in the South Bronx who had like minded musical tastes. Masucci later bought out his partner Pacheco from Fania Entertainment Group, Ltd. and was the sole owner until his death in December 1997. Throughout the early years, Fania used to distribute its records around New York. Eventually success from Pacheco's ''Cañonazo'' recording would lead the label to develop its roster. Masucci and Pacheco, now executive negotiator and musical director respectively, began acquiring musicians such as Bobby Valentín, Larry Harlow, and Ray Barretto. Success In 1968, Fania Records created ...
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Supergroup (music)
A supergroup is a musical group whose members are successful as solo artists or as members of other successful groups. The term became popular in the late 1960s when members of already successful rock groups recorded albums together, after which they normally disband. Charity supergroups, in which prominent musicians perform or record together in support of a particular cause, have been common since the 1980s. The term is most common context of rock and pop music, but it has occasionally been applied to other musical genres. For example, opera superstars The Three Tenors ( José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti) have been called a supergroup. A supergroup sometimes forms as a side project for a single recording project or other ''ad hoc'' purposes, with no intention that the group will remain together afterwards. In other instances, the group may become the primary focus of the members' career. History ''Rolling Stone'' editor Jann Wenner credited Britis ...
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Ismael Miranda
Ismael Miranda, also known as ''El Niño Bonito de la Salsa'' ("The Pretty Boy of Salsa") (born February 20, 1950) is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Early years Miranda (birth name: Ismael Miranda Carrero ) was born in Aguada, Puerto Rico and grew up in New York City on East 13th Street in Manhattan's East Village. He wanted to become a musician as a child. His musical inclination led him to form two different juvenile groups, "The 4J's and Little Junior" and "The Class Mates" by the time he was eleven years old. He sang and played conga for the group and they appeared on Jerry Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Miranda also grew up and played in his first bands with Jazz percussionist Orlando "Q" Rodriguez and piano player Mark Dimond. First recording In 1967, when Miranda was 17 years old, he made his recording debut with the song "''Let's Ball''" with Joey Pastrana and had his first "hit" with "''Rumbón Melón''". He was hired as bandleader Larry Harlow's lead sin ...
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Adalberto Santiago
Adalberto Santiago (born April 23, 1937, in Pozas barrio, Ciales, Puerto Rico) is an internationally known salsa singer. Career Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are among the best in the salsa genre of Latin music. His early influences included the great Cuban vocalists Beny Moré and Miguelito Cuní. Santiago started his professional career singing with trios and playing guitar and bass. After stints with the bands of Chuíto Vélez, where he was called "The Puerto Rican Elvis Presley", Willie Rosario and Willie Rodriguez, his career reached new heights when he joined Ray Barretto's band. Between 1966 and 1972, Adalberto made seven studio albums with Ray Barretto, that contained hit songs like "Quitate La Mascara" and "Alma Con Alma". During this time period he also became an original founding member of the salsa "super-group" The Fania All-Stars. In late 1972, Adalberto and four other members of Barretto's band departed to found Típica 73. He appeared on thr ...
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Cheo Feliciano
Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first tropical singer to perform at the "Amira de la Rosa Theater" in Barranquilla, Colombia, and in 1987 he played the role of Roberto Clemente's father in the musical ''Clemente''. Early years Feliciano (birth name: José Luis Feliciano Vega) was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he was raised and educated. His parents were Prudencio Feliciano and Crescencia Vega. As a child, he was nicknamed "Cheo" by his family - a colloquial version of his name José, normally used by close friends and family. However, the name stuck and became part of his everyday name (using the nickname avoided confusion with José Feliciano, another major Puerto Rican singer to whom he is not related). At a young age he was influenced by the bolero music of the Trio Los Panchos. When he was only eight years old ...
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Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (30 September 1946 – 29 June 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa music because he helped to establish the popularity of this musical genre in the decades of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His personality, style and the qualities of his voice led him to a successful artistic career in the whole field of Latin music and salsa during the 1970s and 1980s. The cleanness and brightness of his voice, coupled with impeccable diction and the ability to sing long and fast phrases with total naturalness, made him one of the favorite singers of the Latin public. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelo Abajo barrio of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended Escuela Libre de Música de Ponce, known today as the Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos and, inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo, developed an inte ...
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Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in the salsa, and Latin jazz genres. As a songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of Central American '' nueva canción'' and Cuban ''nueva trova'' as well as experimental tempos and politically inspired Son Cubano salsa to his music, creating "thinking persons' (salsa) dance music". Blades has written dozens of hit songs, including " Pedro Navaja" and " El Cantante" (which became Héctor Lavoe's signature song). He has won ten Grammy Awards out of seventeen nominations and twelve Latin Grammy Awards. His acting career began in 1983, and has continued, sometimes with several-year breaks to focus on other projects. He has prominent roles in films such as '' Crossover Dreams'' (1985), '' The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988), ''The S ...
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Bobby Valentín
Roberto "Bobby" Valentín (born June 9, 1941), is a musician and salsa bandleader. He is known as "El Rey del Bajo" (King of the Bass). Early years Valentín was born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. He was taught by his father to play the guitar at a young age. When his mother died in 1947, he went to live with his older sister and was raised in the town of Coamo where he received his primary education and studied music. When he was 11 years old, he participated in a local talent contest with a trio that he had formed. He played the guitar and sang for the trio and they won the first place prize. One of his teachers suggested that he attend the Jose I. Quinton Academy of Music, which he did. It was there that he learned to play the trumpet. In 1956, Valentín moved with his family to New York City, United States, where he attended George Washington High School and continued to take music lessons. In 1958, he went to play for Joe Quijano but, shortly after, he played in the band of ...
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Luis Ortiz (musician)
Luis Ortiz may refer to: Sports * Luis Ortiz (Cuban boxer) (born 1979), Cuban boxer in 2005 Boxing World Cup * Luis Ortiz (Puerto Rican boxer) (born 1965), Puerto Rican boxer * Luis Ortiz (third baseman) (born 1970), Dominican baseball player * Luis Ortiz (pitcher, born 1995), American baseball player * Luis Ortiz (pitcher, born 1999), Dominican baseball player * Luis Ortiz (sport shooter) (born 1951), Colombian sports shooter Other * Luis "Perico" Ortiz (born 1949), Puerto Rican trumpet player and composer * Luis D. Ortiz (born 1986), Puerto Rican realtor * Luis Ortiz González Luis Ortiz González (Madrid, 1932 – 2 February 2006) was a Spanish politician and former Minister of Public Works in the Governments of Adolfo Suarez. After receiving a degree in law, he became a member of the state body of technical inspecto ... (1932–2006), Spanish politician * Luis Ortiz Lugo, Puerto Rican politician * Luis Ortiz Monasterio (1906–1990), Mexican sculptor * Luis Ortiz Rosa ...
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Ralfi Pagan
Ralfi Pagán (born Rafael Pagán; 1946–1978) was a Bronx, New York-based Latin soul and salsa singer of Puerto Rican and Cuban parentage who was active from the mid-1960s until his death in 1978. He specialized in soul ballads sung both in Spanish and English and released five albums during the 1970s. He is well known for the duet with Sylvia Robinson entitled ''Soul Je T'aime'' and for his solo reworking of ''Make It With You'' previously recorded by David Gates and Bread. Ralfi toured with legendary music producer and promoter Eddie Torres for several years throughout the Southwest United States. Prior to leaving on tour Ralfi visited Eddie’s home to share he was leaving to Colombia. Eddie told Ralfi he had a bad feeling about the trip. Eddie advised Ralfi not to go. Ralfi went to Colombia against Torres’ advise. In 1978, he was murdered while on a promotional tour in Colombia, South America. His murder remains unsolved. Early career The first recording released by Pag ...
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