Willie Colón Vinyl Records
Trombonist, composer, and bandleader Willie Colón is one of the pioneers of Latin American music and a noted social and political activist. Despite initial criticism, Colón's album El Malo was one of the first to feature the "New York Sound" that sparked a renewed interest in Latin music during the 1970s. Colón was instrumental in the careers of such Latin musicians as Hector Lavoe -- who sang with his band from the late '60s through the mid-'70s and created a virtual template for New York salsa in the process -- Rubén Blades, and Celia Cruz. Colón produced Ismael Miranda, Sophy, and Soledad Bravo.