Share

One of salsa’s preeminent bandleaders for four decades and one of the genre’s premier bongo players, Puerto Rican-born Roberto Roena Vázquez started as a dancer, and was later dubbed "El Gran Bailarín" (The Great Dancer). He developed parallel skills as a percussionist and got his big break in the mid-’50s when Rafael Cortijo recruited him to his legendary Combo. When pianist Rafael Ithier led a defection of sidemen from Cortijo’s Combo in 1962 to become the basis of El Gran Combo, Roena remained until Cortijo departed for New York. After a brief stint with the orchestra of Mario Ortiz, Roena was invited to replace El Gran Combo’s departing bongosero and stayed with the band until 1969. Roberto made his recording debut as a leader in 1966 with a short-lived band called Megatones on Se Pone Bueno / It Gets Better on Alegre Records. Three years later he signed with Fania International (later called International Records), a division of Fania Records, and debuted with his band Apollo Sound on Roberto Roena y su Apollo Sound. Roena hired some of Puerto Rico’s most creative arrangers to develop Apollo Sound into one of salsa’s most progressive and sophisticated outfits with their own highly distinctive style. The tail end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s was a challenging period in Roena’s career. In 1978 his groundbreaking band Apollo Sound lost trombonist and innovative arranger Julio "Gunda" Merced and haemorrhaged six other members who joined Merced in his new band Salsa Fever. Roena staged a remarkable recovery and the first album by the reconstituted Apollo Sound, El Progreso (Fania International, 1978), was one of his finest. He continued to record as a leader with the Fania family up to 1982, thereafter he made albums for the Pa’lante, Up, Sonostar, Musical Productions and Roan labels. – John Child

Roberto Roena discography

Share

Born Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez on September 30th 1946 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he was dubbed "Lavoe" by a New York City dance promoter. He also acquired the title "El Cantante" (The Singer), after the title of the biographical song Rubén Blades composed for his 1978 album Comedia on Fania Records. His high nasal voice and style of phrasing are unmistakable, and his often witty, sometimes risque, ad-libbed anecdotes became renowned. When he was 17, he decided to seek his fortune in New York. Upon his arrival in May 1963, he was hired to perform with a sextet. This was followed by stints with Russell Cohen’s group La New Yorkers, with whom he recorded the single "Está De Bala" in 1965, and Kako.

Fania co-founder Johnny Pacheco brought Lavoe in to provide lead vocals on Willie Colón’s 1967 debut for the label, El Malo (The Bad Guy). The combination of Willie’s two-trombone sound with Héctor’s jibaro style was a smash hit and they continuously played the circuits in New York and Puerto Rico, and between 1967 and 1975, Héctor sang on 12 of Willie’s albums (this included two compilations). In 1974, while he was at the peak of his popularity, Willie announced the breakup of his band. This stunned Héctor and the rest of the salsa world. Eventually Héctor took over the band. With two trumpets added to the two-trombone frontline, Héctor made his solo debut on the Colón-produced La Voz in 1975. The album went gold. In May the following year Héctor garnered Latin NY magazine awards for "Best Male Vocalist" and "Best Conjunto". He went on to make a further seven solo albums with Fania between 1976 and 1987, as well as record with the Fania All Stars, Tito Puente, Daniel Santos, Yomo Toro and Willie Colón. However, his career was dogged by drug problems and went into deeper crisis in 1987 when his teenage son tragically died, his home was destroyed by fire and he was diagnosed to be suffering from AIDS. A failed suicide attempt in 1988 left him critically ill until he finally succumbed to a heart attack on June 29th 1993.
- John Child

Héctor Lavoe discography