Lefty Perez

Salsa vocalist Lefty Perez entered the world in New York’s urban neighborhoods and remained there until age thirteen, when he accompanied his parents back to Puerto Rico. As the son of professional guitarist Mirito Perez, he absorbed music from infancy and revealed an early inclination toward singing and performance. His first paid engagements, however, came not as a musician but as an actor on the Venezuelan telenovela La Revancha.

A steady sequence of recordings followed, featuring work with Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Conjunto Clasico, Johnny Pacheco and additional leading producers and composers. Perez issued his solo debut, Working Out, in 1990. Although he released several projects throughout the 1990s, broad recognition arrived only with the 1997 album Soy Tuyo on the Caiman label. Serving as co-producer and composer, he invested more of himself than in any prior effort. The single “Me da Locura” registered on multiple Latin-format Billboard charts that year.

A comparable achievement did not follow until 2007’s Salseros Unidos. Its title track became a tropical-radio success without major-label backing. Perez continues to record and perform throughout the United States, participating in salsa’s ongoing effort to reach younger listeners through reggaeton and pop crossover initiatives.