Willie Colon, salsa pioneer, has died at 75

"The New York City trombonist and bandleader was a key part of Latin music's evolution during the 1970s. He was born in the Bronx in 1950 but had direct ties to Puerto Rico, thanks to grandparents who still lived on the island. As a young teenager Colon was soaking up popular music of the 1960s: R&B, rock, jazz and Puerto Rican folk music, which he heard while visiting his extended family during the summer. He started playing trumpet at age 12 then switched to trombone."

"At age 17 he released his first album, a record that was so raw and unorthodox that critics and older musicians panned it. No matter it became popular with young Nuyoricans who were looking for something to hang their identity on. The album featured Puerto Rican vocalist Hector Lavoe, who went on to become one of salsa's first major stars as a solo act but only after he recorded several very popular albums with Colon between 1967 and 1975."

Willie Colón was a Bronx-born trombonist and bandleader who helped evolve Latin music during the 1970s. He recorded more than two dozen albums for Fania Records and began recording there at age 15. Influenced by R&B, rock, jazz and Puerto Rican folk, he started on trumpet at 12 before switching to trombone. His early, raw debut became popular with young Nuyoricans and featured vocalist Hector Lavoe. Colón later recruited Ruben Blades, producing socially conscious music that culminated in the landmark 1978 album Siembra. He also arranged and produced many Fania albums and collaborated with Celia Cruz. He died at 75; no cause was provided.

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