Artist: Willie Colon Genre(s):
Latin
R&B: Soul
Folk
Other
Discography:
Cosa Nuestra Year: 2007
Tracks: 8
Quien Eres Year: 2006
Tracks: 8
Og - Original Gangster Year: 2006
Tracks: 14
Lo Mato Year: 2006
Tracks: 8
Guisando Year: 2006
Tracks: 7
Fantasmas Year: 2006
Tracks: 8
El Malo Year: 2006
Tracks: 8
El Jucio Year: 2006
Tracks: 8
El Baquine de Angelitos Negros Year: 2006
Tracks: 12
Crime Pays Year: 2006
Tracks: 9
Corazon Guerrero Year: 2006
Tracks: 7
Willie Colon - The Best Year: 2003
Tracks: 14
Metiendo Mano Year: 2003
Tracks: 9
Demasiado Corazon Year: 2000
Tracks: 11
Salsa's Bad Boy Year: 1993
Tracks: 16
Los Gigantes Year: 1992
Tracks: 9
Asalto NavideAo 2 Year: 1973
Tracks: 8
El Rey Del Trombon Year:
Tracks: 13
Trombone thespian, composer, and bandleader, Willie Colón was one of the pioneers of Latin American music. Despite initial criticism, Colón's album
El Malo has become known as one of the first albums to feature the "Unexampled York Sound" that sparked a renewed interest in Latin music during the seventies. Colón has been implemental in the careers of such Latin musicians as Rubén Blades, world Health Organization first sang with Colón's dance band in 1975, and Celia Cruz, for whom Colón has produced such albums as
Merely They Could Have Done This Album in 1977 and the highly successful duette album
Celia & Willie in 1981. Colón has likewise produced albums for Ismael Miranda, Sophy, Soledad Bravo, and the late Hector Lavoe, world Health Organization american ginseng with his banding in the early '70s. Inspired by the music of assorted cultures, Colón has recorded with such musicians as Puerto Rican cuatro thespian Yomo Toro and David Byrne. Colón's composing "Che Che Cole," adapted from a Ghanaian children's song, was used by Ntozake Shange in the melodious play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. In addition to 11 Grammy nominations and one Grammy honour, Colón has received a CHUBB fellowship from Yale University, the most esteemed honor disposed by the Ivy League school. Colón ran for the United States Congress, representing New York's seventeenth Congressional District, in 1992.
Starting to play the trumpet at the age of 12, Colón switched to the trombone iI age later. Making his recording debut in 1967, for Al Santiago's Futura pronounce, Colón became a victim of misfortune when the label folded. Colón was a lot more successful when he sign with Johnny Pacheco's Fania pronounce. When his vocalizer failed to make Colón's first session for the label, Pacheco suggested Hector Lavoe as a surrogate. The collaboration proved fruitful when two singles from Colón's starting time two albums (
El Malo,
Guisando) -- "Jazzy" and "I Wish I Had a Watermelon" -- became hits. Lavoe remained a lively member of Colón's striation until the mid-'70s when an increased drug addiction caused him to miss or evince up late for several gigs. Although their partnership formally complete in 1975, Colón and Lavoe continued to work together. Lavoe's last-place album,
Strikes Back, released in 1987, was produced by Colón.
In 1975, Colón balanced his schedule as conductor of the Latin Jazz All Stars with studies in medicine theory, make-up, and orchestration. His increased noesis nonrecreational off quick. In 1978, Colón was named Musician, Producer, and Trombone Player of the Year in a readers poll conducted by Latin New York. Three years by and by, he received an prize as Musician of the Year and his record album
Fantasmas was named Album of the Year. Colón continued to garner spat when his album
Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos received a Grammy award in 1982.
Although they met backstage ahead a concert in Panama in 1969, Colón and Blades didn't begin collaborating until basketball team long time later. While working on the album
The Good-The Bad-The Ugly, Colón asked Blades to sing on the Blades-penned tune "El Cazanguero," which reflected on Blades' experiences as a law educatee working in a Panamanian prison house. The session was so square that Blades became a full-time member of Colón's striation following the departure of Lavoe. Their 1978 record album
Siembra became the top-selling album in Fania's catalogue. Despite their success, Blades severely quarreled with label president Jerry Mascucci over money. Although Colón recorded two solo albums --
El Baquine de Angelitos Negros in 1977 and
Solo in 1979 -- and Blades recorded a solo album,
Maestra Vida, in 1980, their solo work failed to equate the commercial success of their spliff efforts.
In 1981, the deuce musicians resumed their partnership with Blades performing coro on Colón's solo album
Fantasmas. The following year, they collaborated on the Grammy-winning record album
Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos, which yielded the hits singles "Tiburon," "Ligia Elena," and "Te Estan Buscando." Their partnership again proved short-lived as Colón and Blades rip up afterwards working on the picture
The Last Fight. The rip was far from cordial and the deuce musicians continued to feud until reuniting for a concert at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan in March 1992. Despite collaborating on the record album
Tras la Tormenta in 1995, Colón and Blades recorded their parts individually. Following a reunion concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997, Colón and Blades performed a series of concerts together.
In the late '80s, Colón formed a new band, Legal Aliens, with jr. musicians. Signing with Sony, Colón and the striation recorded
Color Americano in 1990 and
Honra y Cultura in 1991. Two years by and by, Colón recorded
Hecho en Puerto Rico with an all-star striation featuring ex-members of the Fania All-Stars, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentin. Since leaving Sony over a want of promotional support, Colón continued to remain active.
