Willie Colón has been instrumental in the development of salsa music in the United States and Latin America. A man of many musical talents, his contributions to the development of salsa have spanned more than 35 years. A central pillar of the New York and Latin American musical scene, Colón has led the revolution of salsa and has generated many compositions and recordings.
Background
William Anthony Colón Román was bom in New York City on April 28, 1950. His mother Aracelis was only 16 years old when Colón was born. He was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents, Antonia Román Pintor and Feliciano Román, in the Bronx, New York. Both his mother and his grandmother worked as laborers in New York factories. His experience witnessing their hardships as workers was influential in the development of his social conscience, which would later be reflected both in his political activism and in his songs.
Education
During his youth, his grandmother bought him a trumpet and paid for his first music lessons. By the time he was 13 years old he was a member of the New York City Youth Symphony Orchestra and also had his own small band that played at small social events. Around that time, he was exposed to the music of Mon Rivera, a prominent Puerto Rican orchestra leader, and was fascinated by the effects of multiple trombones in his band. As a result, he switched to the trombone. His music talents were so great that by the time he was 14 he already had a full-fledged band with 14 musicians under him.
Career
Colon's adolescence coincided with a significant historical period for New York Puerto Ricans. As the Puerto Rican Diaspora in New York developed, there was a need for musical forms and styles that not only represented their musical needs and tastes but also reflected their social realities. As interpreters moved away from the traditional Latin mambo and shifted more into Latin jazz, a new musical genre that reflected their musical evolution and growth emerged, which is how the now famous rhythm of salsa music was born. Salsa is a unique cultural manifestation of the many Latino cultures interacting in the Barrio area of New York.
In 1967, Colón, a 17-year-old high school dropout, cut his first record with fellow Puerto Rican musician Hector Lavoe. The album, El Malo (The Bad One), was recorded under the Fania label and sold more than 300,000 records, making Colón an instant hit. It also left Colón with the nickname of "El Malo." With his new use of the trombone and his powerful new partnership, he and Lavoe were among the early interpreters of the new music genre that later became salsa. In 1969 he recorded "Che che cole," a song that gave a new identity to the rhythms of bomba and son. Two years later, he recorded the holiday album Asalto Navideño, which blended new music styles and forms with the salsa rhythm. He demonstrated to audiences and music followers that he was a serious and talented musician who was breaking new ground within the Latin American music world.
One significant aspect of Colon's music is that it captures the realities and preoccupations of people from the Barrio as no other interpreter had done before. The themes of violence, desperation in the social climate of the late 1960s and early 1970s, longing for the home island, and the isolation of urban areas such as the Barrio are staples of his music.
His initial partnership with Lavoe lasted seven years, and his association with Fania Records defined the early period of salsa music encompassing the late 1960s and early the 1970s. In 1973 Colón broke his association with Lavoe and dissolved his band. He became involved with several other performers such as Yomo Toro, Ruben Blades, Ernie Agosto, and Celia Cruz and produced many records with them that also became hits. He also temporarily took a job as the music director of New York's Public Broadcasting Service System, where he had a chance to compose and record the music for the first ever salsa ballet, Mass for Little Black Angels (1977). Colón continued playing a broad spectrum within salsa music and scored many hits, but it was his association with Rubén Blades, a Panamanian composer and vocalist, that defined a significant period of salsa music in Colón s career.
The association of Colón and Blades started initially in 1975 when they recorded the album The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In that album, Colón debuted as a solo singer but still played the trombone. Their partnership did not fully develop until 1977, when they collaborated on many unique musical productions. In 1978 their album Siembra broke all records in Latino markets in the United States and Latin America. Laden with messages of social and political conscience, the album has become a salsa classic. Their classic song "Pedro Navaja," a musical variation of "Mack the Knife," became one of the biggest hits of the 1970s. The song tells the sad story of a prostitute who falls victim to Pedro, the neighborhood pimp, and inspired a musical of the same name that was successfully produced in Puerto Rico and New York. Toward the end of the 1970s, Colón made his real debut as a solo performer with his album Solo and continued into the 1980s scoring successes as a soloist while remaining loyal to the themes of social conscience and responsibilities. His song "El Gran Varón" (The Great Male), part of the album Altos Secretos (High Secrets; 1989), was the first recording in Latin American music to publicly tackle the controversial issue of AIDS. The lyrics present the story of a father who rejected his gay son because he had AIDS and then regretted this rejection when the son dies.
Politics
Colón continues performing for sold-out audiences but also has the opportunity to realize a life-long dream of involvement in politics. In 1993 he challenged U.S. Representative Eliot L. Engel in a Democratic primary for the 17th District of New York, which comprised Westchester County and the Bronx. Although a procedural glitch with the ballots prevented Colón from facing the final contest, he was able to muster huge support not only from his Latino supporters but also from African American and Jewish voters in New York.
In 1999 and in 2000 he seriously considered challenging First Lady Hillary Clinton in the New York primary. In 2002 he ran for the elected position of Public Advocate for New York City and finished third. Because of the racial politics that permeated the 2001 Democratic primaries for mayor in New York City, Colón shifted political alliances to the Republican Party and supported Michael Bloomburg, the Republican candidate, who went on to win the elections and became the mayor of New York.
Membership
Colón is one of the foremost Puerto Rican musicians to represent the talents and concerns of Puerto Rican musicians in New York. He was elected to the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1995. ASCAP is the leading organization representing American recording artists. He has acted in films, on television, and in television commercials, both in the United States and in Latin America. He has received many gold and platinum records and has been nominated for a Grammy.