MOBZILLA RADIO

Biografía

William Anthony Colon is a Puerto Rican salsa music icon. First and foremost a trombonist, also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City. Colon was born in the Bronx, New York in April 28 1950, to Puerto Rican parents. He picked up the trumpet from a young age, and later switched to trombone, inspired by the all-trombone sound of Mon Rivera and -at least during a specific period in the 1960s- that of Eddie Palmieri. He was bullied in his neighborhood because of this, and had to defend himself quite often from gang members. In a way similar to Bob Marley's, he gained a reputation for being tough and fierce in combat, even if his height could put him in a disadvantage (Willie is 5ft. 6in. -168 cm- tall). He spent some summers at his maternal grandmother's farm in Manati, Puerto Rico, where he claims he learned the discipline and tenacity to thrive on his own, as well as a strong love for Puerto Rico that shaped his later political views (he's a strong supporter of Puerto Rican independence and Latin American political unity, and theoretically a liberal, even if later dissapointments with the Democratic Party (United States) of the United States moved him to endorse Republican candidates. He was signed to Fania Records at 15 and recorded his first album at age 17, which ultimately sold more than 300,000 copies. Due to fortuituous events (he had no singer for his band at recording time since his first candidate was killed in a street fight), the main record producer at Fania at the time, Johnny Pacheco, recommended Hector Lavoe to him. This led to a very successful collaboration between the two, which ended in 1975 when Willie quit touring to raise a family and pursue various business ventures (including computer programming) to guarantee a steady income at home. Willie did produce some of Lavoe's solo records afterwards. Beyond his skills on the trombone, he rapidly excelled as a composer, arranger, and singer,

Álbumes

Canciones

1	Calle luna calle sol	The Greatest Salsa Ever, Vol. 1
2	Idilio	Salsa Fresca! Dance Hits of the '90s
3	La murga de panama	The Greatest Salsa Ever, Vol. 2