redhotred will be doing a feature each month, which we hope will further people’s enthusiasm
for salsa, other forms of dance and also touches on other subjects, which we feel, might interest
our eclectic client base.
Hector Juan Perez
This month, we start with one of the most influential and prolific music artists, Hector Lavoe.
Born Hector Juan Perez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on September 30th 1946, Hector was born to sing. As a young boy, he was greatly influenced by the Latin singers he heard on the radio which are obvious in his singing style. Unknown to his father, Hector would hang out with local musicians and by the age of 14, Hector was earning eighteen dollars a night as a singer in a 10-piece band in Puerto Rico. At the age of 17, Hector left music school and went to New York against his father’s wishes. There, he met and worked with the great Dominican bandleader, Johnny Pacheco who introduced Hector to a young,
up-and-coming bandleader named Willie Colon. Colon was playing Latin jazz and boogaloo and looking for a lead singer. That introduction led to a very successful musical union and together, the two musicians embody the dual nature of New York’s Puerto Rican community. Equally important, Hector and Willie became part of a younger generation that was attuned not only to traditional Puerto Rican styles but also to rock, jazz and R&B. But before Hector can hit the recording studio as
a vocalist with the Willie Colon Orquestra, his last name, the extremely common Perez, will have to go. And so he is
rechristened Hector Lavoe, a play on “la voix,” the French translation of “the voice.” Beginning in 1967, Hector and Willie release a succession of LPs that are the foundations of salsa.
By the early 1970s, salsa has conquered the streets of New York and cities around the world, and Hector Lavoe is its voice.
Lavoe was a truly gifted man who could express anything with his music, but he channelled his inner turmoil into a host of self-destructive behaviours, including drug abuse. This began to seep into his professional career and the reputation and integrity of the Willie Colon/Hector Lavoe Orquestra was eventually compromised. Despite all of Willie’s efforts to help him, Hector could not become drug free and Willie had no alternative but to make the heart wrenching decision to disband his orchestra. Hector was crushed - he felt Willie had abandoned him. Colon gave Hector the option of keeping the musicians together and from here, Hector launched his solo career and Willie Colon produced Hectors first album as a solo artist.
Their friendship never wavered. The singing career that Hector envisioned as a young man in Ponce is about to materialize and there are sell-out tours, festivals and outdoor events that reflect the heady, psychedelic spirit of the times. Concerts are jubilant extravaganzas that find Hector in his element.
Throughout good times and bad, Hector continues to give his all to his music. His fans forgive him his failings, cheer his successes and mourn his tragedies. His voice has become their voice. In 1977, a young musician named Ruben Blades introduces a song he has written specifically for Hector, performing it once before turning it over to his idol. That song becomes Hector’s signature, a proud statement of who he is: “El Cantante” (“The Singer”). In April 1977, Hector suffered
a debilitating nervous breakdown rendering him unable to walk. His problems with substance abuse exacerbated the
situation and it took him five months to recover.
Ten years later in 1987, a series of events nearly destroyed Lavoe. A fire completely destroyed his home, his mother was brutally murdered outside her home in Puerto Rico and his son was killed in an accidental shooting. In 1988, Hector
re-emerged with the album titled “Hector Strikes Back” which would be nominated for a Grammy Award. Unfortunately, in the same year, Hector was diagnosed with AIDS as a result of intravenous drug use On June 28, 1988 Lavoe was contracted
to appear in Puerto Rico at an outdoor concert but the promoters cancelled the concert due to poor attendance. This action humiliated Hector and may have served as the straw that broke the camel's back. Later that night Hector went over the balcony of his ninth floor hotel balcony. Controversy surrounds the night; some insisting he was pushed and others claiming he jumped. He landed on an air conditioning unit, severely mangled. He would never be the same after this incident.
At the Meadowlands in September of 1990, the Fania All Stars performed and the last number of the performance was
to come from Lavoe. Hector, brought to stage in a wheel chair and managed to walk to centre stage with the aid of his fellow artists. None of the musicians had realised what a weak condition he was in and it was clear he did not have the strength
to perform. The musicians on stage were overcome with grief to witness their stricken comrade in such a sad state. The
audience was in a state of shock and saddened beyond belief at what they had witnessed. The euphoria during the concert had degenerated into
On June 29, 1993, Hector Lavoe, El Cantante de los Cantantes, lost his battle with AIDS. The Salsa world mourned his death. Outside Saint Cecilia's church on East 106 Street, thousands of fans gathered and serenaded Lavoe's spirit with some of his most memorable hits. A multitude of people walked in procession to the cemetery only to be greeted by
hundreds already there.
Hector Lavoe was truly a legend in his own time. He has been a great inspiration to many of today's young singers and
to this day, there are still very few who can match his ability as a sonero. He set a standard to which others aspire. A movie about the life of Hector Lavoe has just been released in the States title “el cantante” starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. It contains many of the salsa hits we hear today and we will keep you updated about its release in the UK.