Héctor Lavoe

Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez, known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer born on September 30, 1946, and died on June 29, 1993. He is considered a key figure in salsa, helping to spread the genre from the 1960s through the 1980s with his charismatic style and artistic vision.

Lavoe grew up in the Machuelo Abajo neighborhood of Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family was musical: his grandfather sang controversial songs that sometimes led to fights, his uncle played the tres, his mother Francisca was known for her singing voice, and his father Luis supported the family as a construction worker while his mother Francisca was a homemaker. Inspired by folk singer Jesús Sánchez Erazo, Lavoe attended the Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, where he first learned saxophone. His classmates included José Febles. A strict teacher drilled him on diction, manners, and stage presence, predicting he would become a bolero star. He started singing at clubs like Segovia with childhood friends Roberto García and José Febles. At 17, he left school to sing with a ten-piece band. Against his father's wishes, he moved to New York City on May 3, 1963, after an older brother who had moved there died of a drug overdose.

Upon arrival, his sister Priscilla met him. He was disappointed by Spanish Harlem, which he had imagined would have fancy cars and skyscrapers. He worked as a painter, messenger, porter, and concierge. Reconnecting with Roberto García, they visited Latin music clubs. In 1965, he met Russell Cohen and recorded his first album, *Está de bala*, with the New Yorkers. At a rehearsal for a sextet García had joined, Lavoe demonstrated how the bolero "Tus Ojos" should be sung when the lead vocalist sang off key, and was offered the job. He later performed with Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and Johnny Pacheco's band. A former manager gave him the stage name Lavoe, adapting Felipe Rodríguez's nickname "La Voz."

In 1967, he met Willie Colón. Johnny Pacheco suggested Colón record with Lavoe on the track "El Malo" for Colón's first album. The results were good, and Lavoe recorded the rest of the album's vocals. As a soloist, he formed his own band and recorded hits like "El cantante" (by Rubén Blades), "Bandolera" (by Colón), and "Periódico de ayer" (by Tite Curet Alonso). He frequently sang as a guest with the Fania All-Stars.