"Born in 1950 in The Bronx, Colón was raised by his Puerto Rican grandmother, who introduced him early on to an array of Latin sounds, from Cuban son to guaracha to jíbaro to tango. By age 11, he'd begun making his own music, learning flute, bugle, and trumpet before finally landing on trombone. He first fell in love with the instrument hearing Barry Rogers play it on Mon Rivera and Joe Cotto's "Dolores.""
"At the label, Colón proved essential in developing the then-nascent sound of salsa, which fused traditional Latin rhythms with funk, jazz, and R&B and coursed with distinct activist undertones. "It was rebellious music," Colón told the Miami Herald in 2006. "We were watching Martin Luther King walking into Selma and the dogs and water cannons. The music wasn't explicitly political yet, but the music was a magnet that would bring people together.""
Willie Colón was born in 1950 in The Bronx and was raised by his Puerto Rican grandmother, who exposed him to Cuban son, guaracha, jíbaro, and tango. He began making music by age 11, learned flute, bugle, and trumpet, and ultimately chose the trombone after hearing Barry Rogers. Colón signed with Fania Records at 17 and helped shape salsa by blending Latin rhythms with funk, jazz, and R&B while infusing the music with activist energy. He collaborated extensively with Héctor Lavoe, released more than 40 albums across his career, and died peacefully at 75.
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