| Profile |
Stage Name: Joe Cuba
Real Name: Gilberto Miguel Calderón
Date of Birth: 1931
Place of Birth: New York, New York (USA)
Date of Deceased: February 15th 2009
Real Name: Gilberto Miguel Calderón
Date of Birth: 1931
Place of Birth: New York, New York (USA)
Date of Deceased: February 15th 2009
The "Father of Boogaloo," Joe Cuba, passed away on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 4 p.m. at
Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York from complications and infections due to a hip surgery
transplant. He was the most popular exponent of the boogaloo, a fused Latino and R&B
rhythm that exploded onto the American top 40s charts during the turbulent 1960s & ‘70s.
Hits such as “Bang Bang,” “Push Push,” “El Pito,” “Ariñañara,” and “Sock It To Me Baby,”
rocked the hit parades establishing Joe Cuba and his Sextet as the definitive sound of Latin
New York. The Joe Cuba Sextet’s unusual instrumentation featured vibraphones replacing the
traditional brass sound. His music was at the forefront of the Nuyroican movement in New
York where the children of Puerto Rican emigrants, America’s last citizens, took music,
culture, arts and politics into their own hands.
Joe Cuba’s Sextet became popular in the New York Latino community precisely because it
fused a bilingual mix of Afro-Caribbean genres blended with the popular urban rhythm & blues
of its time creating a musical marriage between the Fania and Motown sound. His was the first
musical introduction to Latin rhythms for many American aficionados. The lyrics to Cuba's
repertoire mixed Spanish and English, becoming an important part of the emerging Nuyorican
identity.
“Joe Cuba’s music validated the developing Nuyorican population whose language and music
Cuba captured with his sound,” underlines Giora Breil, CEO of Emusica, the company that
now owns the Fania label and who has remastered many of the classics to a new generation of
music lovers. “He led the urban tribe,” pointed Breil, “into a united front of cultural warriors
that were defining the social and political times they lived in.”
Singer/songwriter Ruben Blades noted: “His music lives on. That is the most any of us can
hope for, after we’re dead. God bless him and we thank him for all the joy he gave us.”
In 1962, Cuba recorded "To Be With You" with the vocals of Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy
Sabater whose careers he spotlighted after the bands introductory appearance at the Stardust
Ballroom prior to its summer stint in the Catskills.
Born in 1931 in the heart of Spanish Harlem, his Puerto Rican parents arrived in New York City
in the 20s. Christened "Gilberto Miguel Calderón," Cuba was a “doo wopper” who played for J.
Panama in 1950 when he was a young 19 year old before going on to play for La Alfarona X.
where the young “congüerro/” percussionist replaced Sabu Martinez tapped to play with Xavier
Cugat.
By 1965, the Sextet got their first crossover hit with the Latino and soul fusion of "El Pito” (I
Never Go Back To Georgia), a tune Cuba recorded against the advice of the producer later to
be “broken” by a DJ over WBLS FM in N.Y.. The Dizzy Gillespie "Never Go Back To Georgia"
chant was taken from the intro to the seminal Afro-Cuban tune, "Manteca." Cuba later
comically described a conversation he had with the Governor of Georgia who called him
demanding why he would record a song whose chorus negatively derided the still segregated
Southern town. The quick thinking Joe Cuba replied, “Georgia is the name of my girl.”
"Joe Cuba exemplified the power that comes from collaboration." highlighted East Harlem's
councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito. "Through his music, Joe brought together Latinos and
African Americans and his art form reflected the influences of both cultures, Furthermore, his
music united Harlem and East Harlem by reflecting the growth both communities experienced
during the 1960s and '70s. Joe Cuba made Spanish Harlem proud as he bravely brought his
particular New York Latino identity to stages all over the world."
In 1967, Joe Cuba’s band –with no horns– scored a "hit" in the United States National Hit
Parade List with the song "Bang Bang" - a tune that ushered in the Latin Boogaloo era. He also
had a #1 hit, that year on the Billboard charts with the song "Sock It To Me Baby." The band’s
instrumentation included congas, timbales, an occasional bongo, bass, piano and vibraphone.
“A bastard sound,” is what Cuba called it pointing to the fans, the people, as the true creators
of this music. “You don’t go into a rehearsal and say ‘Hey, let’s invent a new sound, or
dance.’ They happen. The boogaloo came out of left field. “ Joe Cuba recounts in Mary Kent’
s book:” Salsa Talks: A Musical History Uncovered. “It’s the public that creates new dances
and different things. The audience invents, the audience relates to what you are doing and then
puts their thing into what you are playing,” pointing to other artists such as Ricardo Ray or
Hector Rivera as pioneers of the urban fused rhythm.
“I met Joe up in the Catskills in 1955,” recalls nine time Grammy Award winner Eddie
Palmieri. “When I later started La Perfecta,” Palmieri muses, “we alternated on stages with
Joe. He was full of life and had a great sense of humor, always laughing at his own jokes,”
chuckles the pianist. Palmieri pointed to Cuba’s many musical contributions underlining the
power and popularity of his small band and bilingual lyrics while providing a springboard for
the harmonies and careers of Cheo Feliciano, Willie Torres and Jimmy Sabater. “He was
Spanish Harlem personified,” describes Palmieri recalling the “take no prisoners” attitude Cuba
had when it came to dealing with those who reluctantly paid the musicians. Recalling their
early recording days with the infamous Morris Levy, Palmieri cites the antics of Joe Cuba,
Ismael Rivera and himself as the reason for Levy selling them as a Tico package to Fania label
owner, Jerry Masucci.
Funny, irreverent and with a great humor for practical jokes, Joe Cuba, or Sonny as he was
called by his closest friends, was raised in East Harlem. Stickball being the main sport for
young boys of the neighborhood, Cuba’s father organized a stickball club called the Devils.
After Cuba broke a leg, he took up playing the conga and continued to practice between school
and his free time. Eventually, he graduated from high school and joined a band.
“He was not afraid to experiment,” said David Fernandez, arranger & musical director of Zon
del Barrio who played with the legendary Cuba when he arrived in New York in 2002..
By 1954, at the suggestion of his agent to change the band's name from the Jose Calderon
Sextet to the Joe Cuba Sextet, the newly named Joe Cuba Sextet made their debut at the
Stardust Ballroom. Charlie Palmieri was musical director of the sextet before his untimely 1988
death from a heart attack.
Since then, the Joe Cuba Sextet and band has been a staple of concerts and festivals that unite
both Latinos, African-Americans and just plain music lovers in venues all over the world.
Longtime promoter Hector Maisonave recalls Cuba as” an innovator who crossed over into
mainstream music at an early time. He was the soul of El Barrio. After Joe Cuba, El Barrio is
just a street that crosses an avenue.”
In 2003, the following CDs were released:
* "Joe Cuba Sextet Vol I: Mardi Gras Music for Dancing",
* "Merengue Loco" and
* "Out of This World Cha Cha".
In 2004, Joe Cuba was named Grand Marshall of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebrated in
Yonkers, New York.
Musician Willie Villegas who traveled with Joe for the past 15 years said, “It didn’t matter
where we played around the world Joe would always turn to me and say, To My Barrio….
With Love!”
He is survived by his wife Maria Calderon, Sons Mitchell and Cesar, daughter Lisa, and
grandchildren Nicole and Alexis.
Written by Aurora Flores, Aurora Communications
Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York from complications and infections due to a hip surgery
transplant. He was the most popular exponent of the boogaloo, a fused Latino and R&B
rhythm that exploded onto the American top 40s charts during the turbulent 1960s & ‘70s.
Hits such as “Bang Bang,” “Push Push,” “El Pito,” “Ariñañara,” and “Sock It To Me Baby,”
rocked the hit parades establishing Joe Cuba and his Sextet as the definitive sound of Latin
New York. The Joe Cuba Sextet’s unusual instrumentation featured vibraphones replacing the
traditional brass sound. His music was at the forefront of the Nuyroican movement in New
York where the children of Puerto Rican emigrants, America’s last citizens, took music,
culture, arts and politics into their own hands.
Joe Cuba’s Sextet became popular in the New York Latino community precisely because it
fused a bilingual mix of Afro-Caribbean genres blended with the popular urban rhythm & blues
of its time creating a musical marriage between the Fania and Motown sound. His was the first
musical introduction to Latin rhythms for many American aficionados. The lyrics to Cuba's
repertoire mixed Spanish and English, becoming an important part of the emerging Nuyorican
identity.
“Joe Cuba’s music validated the developing Nuyorican population whose language and music
Cuba captured with his sound,” underlines Giora Breil, CEO of Emusica, the company that
now owns the Fania label and who has remastered many of the classics to a new generation of
music lovers. “He led the urban tribe,” pointed Breil, “into a united front of cultural warriors
that were defining the social and political times they lived in.”
Singer/songwriter Ruben Blades noted: “His music lives on. That is the most any of us can
hope for, after we’re dead. God bless him and we thank him for all the joy he gave us.”
In 1962, Cuba recorded "To Be With You" with the vocals of Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy
Sabater whose careers he spotlighted after the bands introductory appearance at the Stardust
Ballroom prior to its summer stint in the Catskills.
Born in 1931 in the heart of Spanish Harlem, his Puerto Rican parents arrived in New York City
in the 20s. Christened "Gilberto Miguel Calderón," Cuba was a “doo wopper” who played for J.
Panama in 1950 when he was a young 19 year old before going on to play for La Alfarona X.
where the young “congüerro/” percussionist replaced Sabu Martinez tapped to play with Xavier
Cugat.
By 1965, the Sextet got their first crossover hit with the Latino and soul fusion of "El Pito” (I
Never Go Back To Georgia), a tune Cuba recorded against the advice of the producer later to
be “broken” by a DJ over WBLS FM in N.Y.. The Dizzy Gillespie "Never Go Back To Georgia"
chant was taken from the intro to the seminal Afro-Cuban tune, "Manteca." Cuba later
comically described a conversation he had with the Governor of Georgia who called him
demanding why he would record a song whose chorus negatively derided the still segregated
Southern town. The quick thinking Joe Cuba replied, “Georgia is the name of my girl.”
"Joe Cuba exemplified the power that comes from collaboration." highlighted East Harlem's
councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito. "Through his music, Joe brought together Latinos and
African Americans and his art form reflected the influences of both cultures, Furthermore, his
music united Harlem and East Harlem by reflecting the growth both communities experienced
during the 1960s and '70s. Joe Cuba made Spanish Harlem proud as he bravely brought his
particular New York Latino identity to stages all over the world."
In 1967, Joe Cuba’s band –with no horns– scored a "hit" in the United States National Hit
Parade List with the song "Bang Bang" - a tune that ushered in the Latin Boogaloo era. He also
had a #1 hit, that year on the Billboard charts with the song "Sock It To Me Baby." The band’s
instrumentation included congas, timbales, an occasional bongo, bass, piano and vibraphone.
“A bastard sound,” is what Cuba called it pointing to the fans, the people, as the true creators
of this music. “You don’t go into a rehearsal and say ‘Hey, let’s invent a new sound, or
dance.’ They happen. The boogaloo came out of left field. “ Joe Cuba recounts in Mary Kent’
s book:” Salsa Talks: A Musical History Uncovered. “It’s the public that creates new dances
and different things. The audience invents, the audience relates to what you are doing and then
puts their thing into what you are playing,” pointing to other artists such as Ricardo Ray or
Hector Rivera as pioneers of the urban fused rhythm.
“I met Joe up in the Catskills in 1955,” recalls nine time Grammy Award winner Eddie
Palmieri. “When I later started La Perfecta,” Palmieri muses, “we alternated on stages with
Joe. He was full of life and had a great sense of humor, always laughing at his own jokes,”
chuckles the pianist. Palmieri pointed to Cuba’s many musical contributions underlining the
power and popularity of his small band and bilingual lyrics while providing a springboard for
the harmonies and careers of Cheo Feliciano, Willie Torres and Jimmy Sabater. “He was
Spanish Harlem personified,” describes Palmieri recalling the “take no prisoners” attitude Cuba
had when it came to dealing with those who reluctantly paid the musicians. Recalling their
early recording days with the infamous Morris Levy, Palmieri cites the antics of Joe Cuba,
Ismael Rivera and himself as the reason for Levy selling them as a Tico package to Fania label
owner, Jerry Masucci.
Funny, irreverent and with a great humor for practical jokes, Joe Cuba, or Sonny as he was
called by his closest friends, was raised in East Harlem. Stickball being the main sport for
young boys of the neighborhood, Cuba’s father organized a stickball club called the Devils.
After Cuba broke a leg, he took up playing the conga and continued to practice between school
and his free time. Eventually, he graduated from high school and joined a band.
“He was not afraid to experiment,” said David Fernandez, arranger & musical director of Zon
del Barrio who played with the legendary Cuba when he arrived in New York in 2002..
By 1954, at the suggestion of his agent to change the band's name from the Jose Calderon
Sextet to the Joe Cuba Sextet, the newly named Joe Cuba Sextet made their debut at the
Stardust Ballroom. Charlie Palmieri was musical director of the sextet before his untimely 1988
death from a heart attack.
Since then, the Joe Cuba Sextet and band has been a staple of concerts and festivals that unite
both Latinos, African-Americans and just plain music lovers in venues all over the world.
Longtime promoter Hector Maisonave recalls Cuba as” an innovator who crossed over into
mainstream music at an early time. He was the soul of El Barrio. After Joe Cuba, El Barrio is
just a street that crosses an avenue.”
In 2003, the following CDs were released:
* "Joe Cuba Sextet Vol I: Mardi Gras Music for Dancing",
* "Merengue Loco" and
* "Out of This World Cha Cha".
In 2004, Joe Cuba was named Grand Marshall of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebrated in
Yonkers, New York.
Musician Willie Villegas who traveled with Joe for the past 15 years said, “It didn’t matter
where we played around the world Joe would always turn to me and say, To My Barrio….
With Love!”
He is survived by his wife Maria Calderon, Sons Mitchell and Cesar, daughter Lisa, and
grandchildren Nicole and Alexis.
Written by Aurora Flores, Aurora Communications
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In Memory of Joe Cuba
| Joe Cuba With Eliot Rivera (Lebron Brothers) |
| The Father of Boogaloo Has Passed! By By Aurora Flores |
| Joe Cuba Live At SOBs in New York City 2002 |
You Are Currently Listening To A Tribute To Joe Cuba With DJ Speedy Gonzalez
Aired Live 2/21/09 From WMNF 88.5 FM Tampa Florida.
Aired Live 2/21/09 From WMNF 88.5 FM Tampa Florida.
Keep Listening To The Tribute or Stop The Player To View The Video Below!
Thank you Speedy Gonzalez For A Great Tribute To Our Father of Boogaloo "Joe Cuba." It is
radio disc jockies like yourself that continues to keep the legends, our roots and culture alive with
your radio program "Latin Jazz and Salsa." It's a shame commercial radio only played a couple of
tunes by Joe Cuba and a small message from the DJ saying 'He was great band leader and passed
away." You provided excellent and valuable information regarding Joe Cuba's career and his
character. Truly Speedy, you are an authentic Radio Disc Jockey and Your Co-Host Hector.
Excellent Job Gentlemen! May Joe Cuba rest in peace. Que Viva La Salsa Dura, Boogaloo and
Latin Soul!
radio disc jockies like yourself that continues to keep the legends, our roots and culture alive with
your radio program "Latin Jazz and Salsa." It's a shame commercial radio only played a couple of
tunes by Joe Cuba and a small message from the DJ saying 'He was great band leader and passed
away." You provided excellent and valuable information regarding Joe Cuba's career and his
character. Truly Speedy, you are an authentic Radio Disc Jockey and Your Co-Host Hector.
Excellent Job Gentlemen! May Joe Cuba rest in peace. Que Viva La Salsa Dura, Boogaloo and
Latin Soul!