I was doomscrolling when I learned that the South Bronx-born salsa pioneer and activist Willie Colón died yesterday.
As a native New Yorker, salsa is part of the cultural bedrock that makes my hometown so unique. Colón was not only a pioneer of the genre, he was one of Fania Records‘ earliest and most commercially successful artists. At one point he claimed to hold the “all time record for sales in the Salsa genre . . .” with over 30 million records sold globally.
When he was just 15, he signed to Fania and by the time he 17, he recorded his debut album, 1967’s Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Masucci co-produced El Malo, which went on to sell over 300,000 copies. Pacheco recommended Héctor Lavoe to him, and the pair began a wildly successful and deeply influential collaboration. Along with Lavoe, Colón has had equally legendary collaborations with Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Soledad Bravo and Rubén Blades among others.
As a civil rights, community and political activist, Colón served as a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS. He was President of the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York and was a member of the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Adding to his trailblazing career, he came the first person color to serve on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) National Board, replacing the legendary Stephen Sondheim.
Colón’s influence on music and culture here in New York and across the Latin American world is massive and towering.
Long live Willie Colón! Love live Willie Colón! May he rest in rhythm and melody.
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