The Puerto Rican singer Paquito Guzman, one of the greatest exponents of romantic salsa in the world and with great success in South America, died Thursday at age 82 after a long battle against cancer.
After a long battle against colon cancer, veteran singer Paquito Guzmán died today at his home in Toa Baja, reported Víctor “Coco” Santiago, a close friend of the family. Guzmán was 82 years old.
Funeral ceremonies will not be held, according to Guzmán’s will, the family reported.
Guzmán, who became known throughout Latin America as a salsa and bolero interpreter, was born on November 20, 1939. A native of Cataño, Puerto Rico, his real name was Frank Guzmán Géigel.
He was one of the great exponents of romantic salsa in the 80s and 90s, but his professional career began in the early 60s.
At only 19 years of age, he emigrated to New York in 1959 with the dream of singing in a trio of voices and guitars, which was fashionable at that time throughout Latin America. There he met a Puerto Rican businessman named Johnny Montañez who suggested that he record a 45 rpm record. In the studio they recorded six songs and in 1960 one came out that included the songs “Yolanda” and “Mi martirio”.
It is then that he receives an invitation from Joe Quijano to join the Cachana Ensemble, which finally made Paquito known in the New York musical environment. In that year of 1960 he recorded his first album with Cachana entitled “A Cataño” followed by another album entitled “Volví a Cataño”, in which he stood out singing boleros, pachangas and guarachas.
He recorded several more albums with Quijano, but at the end of 1962 he decided to return to Puerto Rico after an offer to sing with the Mario Ortiz orchestra, but when it did not materialize, he joined the Los Primos Trio along with Rafael Scharrón and Tatín Vale, with whom he was about nine months before receiving a job offer from Tommy Olivencia.
It is when its most productive stage begins as the Olivencia orchestra is one of the most requested bands on the island. With Olivencia he recorded the albums “Trucutú” (1963), “Jala jala y guaguancó” (1965), “The new musical sensation de Puerto Rico ”(1966), and“ Fire fire ”(1967) in which his companion was the remembered singer Chamaco Ramírez.
With the international success of the orchestra and a new contract with the Inca record label, Guzmán shone on the album “A toda Máquina” (1968) in which his accompanist on the vocal front was the young Sammy González.
Then the records “Cueros, salsa y Sentiment” (1971), “Secuestro” (1972) and “Juntos de nuevo” (1974) were produced. The Inca label produced a solo album for him in 1972 entitled “Paquito Guzmán”, but he remained a member of the Olivencia orchestra.
After the release of “Juntos de nuevo”, Guzmán leaves the Olivencia orchestra to pursue a career as a soloist. Backed by the Inca label, Guzmán released the albums “Listen to my song” (1975) and “Mintiendo se gana más” (1977).
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
