Artist:Willie Colon f/Ruben Blades
Song:Pedro Navaja
Album:OG:Original Gangster
Willie Colon is one of the icons of Latin American music, specifically Puerto Rican salsa and is mostly known as a bandleader. He was born Apr. 28, 1950 in Bronx, NY. He started out playing trombone in sessions as a teen. Colon has been associated with Johnny Pacheco's Fania Records since the 60s. Hector Lavoe was his first vocalist but then in 1975, he got together with Ruben Blades. At the same time, he was director of the Latin Jazz All Stars. The partnership between Colon & Blades was very successful. The image put forth was that they were real gangsters but of course they weren't. Pedro Navaja translates to Peter The Knife. It's from the 1978 album Siembra which became Fania's best seller in their catalog. This 2006 comp OG is a good intro to Colon's music. Colon & Blades split up in 1980, feuded for a few years but have reconciled and have reunited occasionally. Willie Colon received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2004. These days he's New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's laison to the Latin Entertainment Media Commission. Here's Willie Colon & Ruben Blades performing Pedro Navaja in Venezuela in 1998.
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