William Anthony Colón Román (born April 28, 1950) is an American and Puerto Rican Salsa musician and social activist. He began his career as a trombonist but also sings, writes, produces and acts. Colón was a pioneer of Salsa music and a best-selling artist in the genre, having been a key figure in the nascent New York City scene associated with Fania Records. He is also noteworthy for having assumed the gangster image in his album covers before it was culturally popular. Since the 1980s he has at times been deeply involved in the politics of New York City.
Early years
Colón was born in the South Bronx in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. He picked up the trumpet from a young age, and later switched to trombone, inspired by the all-trombone sound of Mon Rivera and Barry Rogers. He spent some summers at his maternal grandmother’s sister’s farm in the outskirts of Manatí, Puerto Rico on the road to neighboring Ciales, Puerto Rico.
At the age of 15, he was signed to Fania Records, and at 17, he recorded his first album, which ultimately sold more than 300,000 copies. The main record producer at Fania at the time, Johnny Pacheco, recommended Héctor Lavoe to him.
He has also acted in films, including roles in Vigilante (1983), The Last Fight (1983), Miami Vice (in the season 3 episode “Cuba Libre”) (1987) and It Could Happen to You (1994).
Colón has been a civil rights, community, and political activist since the age of 16. He has served as a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS and President of the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York, member of the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.[8] In 1995, Colón became the first person of color to serve on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) national board, replacing Stephen Sondheim, and was also a member of the ASCAP Foundation.
Music career
On July 12, 2018, Willie Colón became the first Latin artist to perform at Paris’ Bataclan theater after the 2015 terrorist attack.
Beyond the trombone, he has also worked as a composer, arranger, and singer, and eventually as a producer and director. Combining elements of jazz, rock, and salsa, his work incorporates the rhythms of traditional music from African descendants in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil, representing mostly a one-way flow from Puerto Rico to the New York-based diaspora. “His life and music commute back and forth between his home turf in the Bronx and his ancestral Puerto Rico, with more than casual stop-offs in other musical zones of the Caribbean.” Colón “makes the relation between diaspora and Caribbean homeland the central theme of his work,” particularly in his 1971 Christmas album, Asalto Navideño. The lyrics and music of the songs on this album “enact the diaspora addressing the island culture in a complex, loving but at the same time mildly challenging way.”
He went on to have many successful collaborations with other salsa musicians and singers, such as Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Soledad Bravo, and singer-songwriter Rubén Blades. On his website, Colón claims to hold the “all time record for sales in the Salsa genre, [having] created 40 productions that have sold more than thirty million records worldwide.”
One significant overarching theme in Colón’s music, which draws from many cultures and several different styles, is an exploration of the competing associations that Puerto Ricans have with their home and with the United States. He uses his songs to depict and investigate the problems of living in the United States mainland as a Puerto Rican, and also to imply the cultural contributions that Puerto Ricans have to offer.
In May 2007, Colón sued Ruben Blades for breach of contract. This led to a series of suits and countersuits that lasted over five years, resulting in decisions in Blades’ favor.
Colón performing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 14, 2023
Colón released two singles, “Amor de Internet” and “Corazón Partido”, to promote for his album El Malo Vol II: Prisioneros del Mambo.[16] In 2016, Colón began his 50th Anniversary Tour. In 2017, Colón announced his upcoming book titled Barrio de Guapos (The Secret Life of Willie Colón) and the launching of his record label ‘Willie Colón Presenta’. For 2018 Colón kicked off his “Rumba Del Siglo” (Jam of the Century) World Tour performing in U.S., Latin America and Europe to mostly sold-out venues. Because of the great success of his last tour, Colón will continue “Rumba Del Siglo 2019” (Jam of the Century 2019).
EL MALO
ESO SE BAILA ASI
