Willie Colón
| Willie Colón | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Anthony Colón Román |
| Also known as | El Malo |
| Born | April 28, 1950 |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, United States |
| Genres | Salsa, bolero |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, musician, record producer, composer |
| Instruments | Vocals, trombone, trumpet |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Associated acts | Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, Mon Rivera, David Byrne, Celia Cruz, Da House, Fonseca, Ismael Miranda, Soledad Bravo, Sophy, Fania All-Stars |
| Website | http://www.williecolon.com |
William Anthony Colón Román (born April 28, 1950) is a Nuyorican (a New York-born Puerto Rican) salsa musician and social activist. He began his career as a trombonist, and also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in the politics of New York City and international politics.
Willie Colón a Nuyorican, born in the South Bronx, New York, to Nuyorican Puerto Rican parents from Puerto Rican grandparents. He picked up the trumpet from a young age, and later switched to trombone, inspired by the all-trombone sound of Mon Rivera and Barry Rogers. He spent some summers at his maternal grandmother’s sister’s (La finca de Celín y Ramón) farm in the outskirts of Manatí, Puerto Rico on the road to neighboring Ciales, Puerto Rico.
At the age of 15 he was signed to Fania Records and at 17 he recorded his first album, which ultimately sold more than 300,000 copies. Due to fortuitous events, the main record producer at Fania at the time, Johnny Pacheco, recommended Héctor Lavoe to him.
He has also acted in films, including roles in Vigilante (1983), The Last Fight (1983) and It Could Happen to You (1994).
Colón has been a civil rights, community and political activist since the age of 16. He has served as a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS and the United Nations Immigrant Foundation, President of the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York, member of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 1995, Mr. Colón became the first minority to serve on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) national board and is now a member of the ASCAP Foundation.
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