Born: Sept. 30, 1946 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Died: June 29, 1993 in New York City
There are some who say that there is a price to be paid
for a gift, the greater the gift, the greater the price.
Hector Lavoe’s musical talent was huge. He was called
“El Cantante de los Cantantes”, and his talent took him
from his hometown of Ponce, Puerto Rico to the limelight of
New York. It brought him the adulation of a Nuyorican public
that found in Lavoe a voice that clarified and celebrated
their bicultural identity as well as legendary status in the
eyes of the salsa loving public.
In equal measure, the price Lavoe paid was huge. A lifetime
struggle with insecurity led to a parallel struggle with
drugs, even after bearing the death of his brother by
overdose. A fire destroyed his home. His mother-in-law was
murdered. He was brutally beaten during a robbery, suffered
a nervous breakdown, jumped off a balcony but lived, though
physically mangled. His son was killed at 17, accidentally
shot by a friend. Lavoe died at the age of 46, penniless,
most probably of AIDS.
Early Days:
Hector Lavoe, born Hector Juan Perez Martinez, came from
a family of musicians. His father earned a living playing
the guitar in local groups; his mother sang constantly
around the house. His uncle was one of Ponce’s finest tres
players while his grandfather sang “controversies”.
By the time Lavoe was 14, he was earning his own money
singing with bands in local venues. With his earning
potential putting stars in his eyes, he dropped out of
school and decided he was ready for New York City. The
family was not pleased – he brother had died there of an
overdose. Lavoe felt he had to prove himself to his family
and that desire plus the insecurity that he was not good
enough, followed him throughout his life.
New York, New York:
Lavoe was one of eight children, so it wasn’t
surprising that his sister welcomed him to New York. A week
later, a friend took him to see a newly formed sextet
perform. Lavoe listened for a while, then got up to show the
vocalist what he was doing wrong. The band was so impressed
with his ‘lesson’ that they offered him his first New
York job. Now that he was performing and being heard, offers
followed.
In 1967, Lavoe was introduced to Willie Colon in a
meeting that was the start of a collaboration that produced
some of the best music to come out of the Fania label. The
duos' first album was El Malo and it proved to be a
hit. Unfortunately, the success of El Malo was
something Lavoe was not ready to handle. Lavoe’s ensuing
popularity left him barely able to cope and he turned to
drugs.
Abandonment:
Lavoe’s drug use resulted in missed concerts and some
barely functioning performances. In 1973, the world was
shocked when the announcement was made that Colon and Lavoe
were splitting. But the bigger shock was Lavoe’s – he
had considered Colon his best friend and was bereft at the
split. He felt abandoned, and the insecurities that had
plagued him for years now entered center stage. Without
Willie and Fania, was he a failure?
He waited for Colon to change his mind for two months and
then he cut his first solo album, La Voz (The Voice).
Surprised at the success of the album, Lavoe came to realize
that the split with Colon had served a purpose. He was now
the leader of his own band, and a star in his own right.
Colon continued to produce his albums. And the rest, as they
say, is history
“Yo Soy Un Jibaro”:
Hector Lavoe had achieved all his ambitions. A legend in
his own time, he had the fame and recognition that he had
sought when he left Puerto Rico. even the embrace of his
father upon his return to Ponce. Lavoe was often called a
hick, a ‘jibaro’, to which he took no offense, often
proclaiming – “Yes, I am a jibaro of Puerto Rico’.
This lack of pretension only enhanced his already burgeoning
reputation.
But Lavoe was also paying the price. The series of
disasters, culminating in his son's death, was perhaps the
reason he jumped off his hotel's balcony. Was it a suicide
attempt? Was he pushed? Did he see his son in a vision?
These conjectures made their appearance in the Broadway
show, Who Killed Hector Lavoe?, produced in the late
1990s.
Hector Lavoe never lost the love and support of his
friends and public. He died young, but his music still
enjoys vast popularity and even today is the subject of the
movie El Cantante starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer
Lopez.
