Héctor Lavoe

Salsa history places Héctor Lavoe among its most groundbreaking vocalists. Beyond his own releases he belonged to the Fania All-Stars from their inception and remained a core member for years. His flawless diction, a jazz musician’s rhythmic imagination, and deeply expressive phrasing helped bridge the Latin boogaloo and soul sounds of the late 1960s into the salsa explosion of the following decade. The 1970 album Cosa Nuestra featured the timeless anthem “Che Che Cole.” Between 1970 and 1973 the trio of El Gran Fuga, El Juicio, and Lo Mato generated ten charting singles and introduced enduring salsa classics such as “Calle Luna, Calle Sol.” Lavoe stepped out on his own while Willie Colón produced the gold-certified La Voz in 1975, followed by De Ti Depende in 1976 and the blockbuster Comedia in 1978; the last contained Rubén Blades’s composition “El Cantante,” which became Lavoe’s signature theme. In 1981 he issued ¡Qué Sentimiento!, his sole self-produced effort, and Revento earned gold status in 1985. Strikes Back, the final studio pairing of Colón and Lavoe, arrived in 1987 and received a Grammy nomination. The singer’s life reached the screen in the 2006 Hollywood biopic El Cantante, with Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez in the principal roles.

Born Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1946, he was the sixth of eight children raised by Francisca Martínez and Luis Pérez. Tragedy struck early when he lost his mother at age three. He found solace singing along to radio broadcasts that featured legendary Latin voices such as Daniel Santos and Jesús Sánchez Erazo, known as Chuito el de Bayamón. His father, a guitarist in neighborhood orchestras and dance bands, envisioned his son as a saxophonist and supplied basic instruction before enrolling him at the Juan Morel Campos School of Music. Although he mastered the fundamentals of the horn, Lavoe soon lost interest, drawn instead to singing. His early tastes included jíbaro, bomba, and other regional styles. Santos and Chuito el de Bayamón remained touchstones, yet he also absorbed the approaches of Ismael Quintana, Cheo Feliciano, and Ismael Rivera.

Those influences surface clearly in Lavoe’s delivery. He tackles the son and montuno with the authority of Rivera and Beny Moré, yet his flair for improvisation endeared him to salsa audiences. At fourteen he began performing with childhood friend Roberto García in a band that played current standards for eighteen dollars a night. At seventeen he left music school and moved to New York City in search of a singing career, arriving in May 1963 to stay with his older sister Priscilla. He supported himself through a succession of jobs—painter, window washer, baggage handler, messenger, waiter, janitor, short-order cook, and busboy. One day he encountered García, who had already settled in the city, and together they began visiting dance halls and Latin clubs throughout the Bronx and lower Manhattan. The vibrant scene captivated Lavoe, and García soon invited him to rehearse with a sextet he was assembling.

In November 1964 Lavoe entered a Brooklyn club and met pianist Russell Cohen, leader of the New Yorker Band. After an audition he joined the group as one of its backing vocalists. The following year he recorded his first single with the band, Arsenio Rodríguez’s “Mi China Me Botó,” arranged by Alfredito Valdés Jr. Although still a member of the New Yorker Band, Lavoe also performed with the New York Orchestra, the Alegre All-Stars, and Francisco “Kako” Bastar’s orchestra. Within Bastar’s group he met his future mentor Johnny Pacheco, who suggested that trombonist, composer, and bandleader Willie Colón record a track with Lavoe for Colón’s debut album on the fledgling Fania label. Despite already having vocalist Tony Vázquez, Colón gave Lavoe an opportunity; after hearing the playback he asked the singer to re-record every lead vocal for 1967’s Guisando. Club dates and strategic radio play propelled the album across New York and then abroad to France, Panama, Colombia, and beyond. Success brought money, recognition, and steady work, yet Lavoe later acknowledged that he struggled with the pressures and turned to drugs for relief.

Their 1968 partnership yielded The Hustler. At the time Lavoe, whose stage name derived from his nickname “La Voz,” sang exclusively in Spanish. Colón capitalized on that linguistic focus by steering their music toward Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Cuban idioms. The album included the bolero “Qué Lío” and the proto-salsa numbers “Se Acaba Este Mundo” and “Eso Se Baila Así.” That year Lavoe began a relationship with Carmen Castro, who became pregnant. She declined to marry him because of his lifestyle, and their son José Alberto Pérez was born on 30 October 1968. On the evening of the child’s baptism Lavoe received word that another girlfriend, Nilda “Puchi” Román, was also expecting. Their son Héctor Pérez Jr. arrived on 25 September 1969, and the couple married shortly afterward.

Also in 1968, Fania Records executives Jerry Masucci and Pacheco assembled a rotating supergroup intended to tour and record. The Fania All-Stars recruited Lavoe among its inaugural vocalists alongside Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez, Ismael Miranda, and Adalberto Santiago. Their first releases were the 1968 volumes Live at the Red Garter, Vols. 1 & 2. The 1969 album Guisando, credited jointly to Colón and Lavoe, introduced the band’s darker, trombone-heavy approach through guaracha, son, guajira, and guaguancó, producing the hits “Guisando,” “No Me Den Candela,” and “Te Están Buscando.” In 1970 Cosa Nuestra crystallized their emerging salsa style with anthems such as “Che Che Cole,” “No Me Llores Más,” and the sultry bolero “Ausencia.” On Halloween 1970 the fully formed sound appeared on El Gran Fuga, which spawned four hit singles: “Ghana’ E,” “Sigue Feliz,” “Barrunto,” and “Panameña.” That same year the pair issued their first holiday collection, Asalto Navideño. The band toured the Eastern United States and the Caribbean, selling out venues in Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands while making frequent television and radio appearances.

Constant touring in 1971 intensified the strain, and Lavoe escalated his drug use. He began arriving late or missing performances altogether. After returning to New York he entered rehabilitation for the first time. In August he joined the reconfigured Fania All-Stars for sold-out nights at the Cheetah Club, a former rock and R&B venue that had once hosted Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. The shows yielded two charting albums, Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, released the next year. Also in 1972 the duo issued El Juicio, which contained three charting singles—“Ah-Ah/O-No,” “Piraña,” and “Soñando Despierto”—while the bolero “I Will Continue Without You” foreshadowed the eventual parting of Colón and Lavoe.

In 1973 they released Asalto Navideño, Vol. 2 and Lo Mato, the last album to feature Colón’s youthful two-trombone configuration. Recorded at the peak of their powers, Lo Mato delivered three hit singles: “El Día de Mi Suerte,” “Todo Tiene Su Final,” and the salsa standard “Calle Luna, Calle Sol.” In August Lavoe appeared with the Fania All-Stars chorus on the landmark Live at Yankee Stadium. In November the ensemble inaugurated the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, where Lavoe delivered his first solo performance of Pacheco’s “Mi Gente,” written expressly for him.

By 1974 Colón, exasperated by Lavoe’s erratic behavior, planned an album featuring his own lead vocals. Lavoe was touring internationally with the Fania All-Stars when, that September, the group performed at the three-day Zaire 74 Festival organized by Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine. Originally conceived to complement the “Rumble in the Jungle” bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, the fight was postponed six weeks after Foreman’s injury, yet the concert proceeded with seventeen artists from Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of Congo—and fourteen from abroad, including James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, the Spinners, Celia Cruz, and the Fania All-Stars. Lavoe again performed “Mi Gente” to a standing ovation. Meanwhile Colón recorded a more expansive album showcasing his vocals and those of Panamanian singer-songwriter Rubén Blades, recently departed from Ray Barretto’s band. The 1975 release The Good, The Bad, The Ugly presented a broader musical palette and featured Yomo Toro on cuatro throughout; Lavoe contributed only two lead vocals. Before touring, Colón assembled a new band and left the existing orchestra to Lavoe, who used it to launch his solo career.

Although they no longer performed together, Colón continued to produce Lavoe’s solo projects. The 1976 chart-topping, gold-certified La Voz reaffirmed his vocal prowess and solidified his stardom. In addition to the first studio version of “Mi Gente,” it contained the singles “Rompe Saragüey,” “Emborráchame de Amor,” “Un Amor de la Calle,” and the sultry bolero “Tus Ojos.” Fania welcomed the split, now possessing two hit-making acts. After recording Tribute to Tito Rodríguez with the Fania All-Stars, Lavoe issued De Ti Depende, again under Colón’s production. Anchored by the title track, the album emphasized boleros with “Consejo de Oro” and “Tanto Como Ayer,” alongside the fiery salsa number “Vamos a Reír un Poco.”

While the records sold briskly and critics praised Lavoe’s vocal innovations, his live shows grew increasingly erratic because of drug and alcohol abuse, damaging his standing with fans and prompting public speculation that his career was finished. In 1977, amid severe clinical depression, he abandoned a tour and sought treatment once more. After recovering he resumed international touring in 1978. That year he recorded and released the Colón-produced Comedia. The gold-certified album restored his reputation and introduced “El Cantante,” the song that supplied his lasting nickname. Its orchestral arrangements blended seamlessly with son, montuno, classic son, bolero, and salsa. Colón had asked Blades to compose something special; upon reading the lyrics he persuaded Blades to assign the song to Lavoe. “El Cantante” became a worldwide hit. In addition to headlining his own concerts, Lavoe joined the Fania All-Stars at Madison Square Garden and guested on Tito Puente’s Homenaje a Beny Moré, Vol. 2. The following year saw Recordando a Felipe Pirela, a tribute to the Venezuelan singer, and another holiday album, Feliz Navidad.

In 1980 Lavoe released El Sabio. Although the Colón-produced set sold strongly, it was an unusual project. Of its seven tracks only five were new; “Para Ochum” and “Noche de Farra” had been cut earlier for De Ti Depende but omitted because Lavoe disliked his vocals. “Ajeate” had been offered by Mexican composer-arranger Raúl René Rosado for a Mexico recording that technical problems prevented. The closing track was a cover of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan’s “Ceora.” By the end of 1980 Lavoe’s performances again turned unpredictable because of ongoing addiction, yet he still recorded and toured with the Fania All-Stars while maintaining an international solo schedule. Despite these difficulties he delivered his most ambitious statement with 1981’s ¡Qué Sentimiento!, the only album he arranged and produced himself. Three tracks—“Soy Vagabundo,” “No Hay Quien Te Aguante,” and “Amor Soñado”—though written by others, fit his style so instinctively that they seemed tailor-made.

The following year Fania, concerned about Lavoe’s unreliable concerts, reunited him with Colón to record the soundtrack for the label’s film Vigilante. Released in 1983, the album enjoyed solid radio and commercial success even though the movie did not. In 1985 Lavoe issued Revento, his closest return to straight salsa since the seventies. Co-produced by Masucci and wife Nilda “Puchi” Román, the seven-song set highlighted “Déjala Que Sigue,” “¿De Qué Size Es Tu Amor?,” and the self-composed “La Fama,” whose lyrics and arrangement examined the toll fame exacts. That same year he performed “Tumba Tumbador” with Tito Puente on Homenaje a Beny Moré, Vol. 3. In 1986 he appeared on the Fania All-Stars’ Viva la Charanga. In March he returned to the studio with Colón producing; sixteen tracks were recorded, eight of which became the 1987 album Strikes Back while the remainder appeared posthumously in 1993. That August the Fania All-Stars marked their twentieth anniversary at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico, bringing Colón and Lavoe back together for the first time since 1973; they performed “Mi Gente” and “La Murga” to standing ovations.

By 1987 Lavoe’s life had unraveled. After falling asleep with a lit cigarette he set his apartment ablaze and escaped by leaping from a window, sustaining serious injuries. While immobilized in a body cast, he learned that his mother-in-law had been murdered, triggering a nervous breakdown. In May his youngest son, Héctor Pérez Jr., died from an accidental gunshot while a friend cleaned a weapon. Still in a nursing home, Lavoe relapsed and discharged himself. Amid these events Strikes Back achieved chart and commercial success, earned a 1988 Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Latin Performance, and was named by Billboard one of the year’s twenty best albums. During promotion for the album Lavoe fell ill and was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS contracted through shared needles. He contributed lead vocals to the track “Siento” on the Fania All-Stars’ Bamboleo, his final studio recording. In June, after a disastrous concert and an argument with his wife, he jumped from a ninth-floor hotel window. Miraculously surviving, he broke both arms, a leg, and several ribs, compounding earlier injuries. Friends from Fania and the Latin music community organized benefit concerts in Puerto Rico, New York, Panama, Colombia, and Mexico City.

Lavoe attempted a limited return, playing occasional concerts while trying to regain his health. Unscrupulous musicians, promoters, and venues exploited him, pressuring him to perform beyond his physical capacity and supplying drugs and money. In addition to AIDS he was diagnosed with diabetes. On 2 September 1990 he accepted an invitation to appear with the Fania All-Stars at a New Jersey concert despite being far from well. Colón, also on the bill, refused to perform in protest. Near the end of the show Lavoe walked onstage to embraces from fellow musicians and thunderous applause from the sold-out crowd. When the band launched “Mi Gente” he received a microphone but mumbled incoherently for five minutes, unable to sing. The other vocalists finished the song; at its close both Cheo Feliciano and Johnny Pacheco turned from the audience in tears, and Ray Barretto folded himself over his congas until the curtain fell.

The following year a major stroke left Lavoe unable to speak or sing. He descended into poverty after signing over his power of attorney to an unscrupulous former associate; his family later won a criminal-fraud suit. He suffered a fatal heart attack on 29 June 1993 at Memorial Hospital in Queens at the age of forty-six. That December Fania issued the posthumous album The Master & the Protege, though Lavoe’s voice appeared on only a few tracks because illness had kept him from completing the 1986 sessions; the label finished the recording with singer Van Lester. In 2006 Leon Ichaso’s biopic El Cantante premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Starring Marc Anthony as Lavoe and Jennifer Lopez as Puchi—who died in 2002—the film drew harsh reviews from critics yet performed respectably at the box office upon its 2007 release. Colón and Ismael Miranda condemned the movie for emphasizing Lavoe’s drug use over his musical achievements. Anthony received a Grammy for the soundtrack, while Lopez expressed disappointment at not winning an Oscar for best supporting actress. Since his death Lavoe has been the subject of numerous compilations. His entire catalog has been remastered and reissued in multiple formats, and his influence continues to resonate among performers and listeners.