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Fruko y sus Tesos is a
salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...
group from
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
that is popular in both
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It was formed in 1969 by multi-instrumentalist Julio Ernesto Estrada (aka Fruko). Beginning with ''Tesura'' in 1969, the band has recorded 42 albums to date. The band achieved a degree of success after
Joe Arroyo Álvaro José Arroyo González (also known as Joe Arroyo or El Joe; 1 November 1955 – 26 July 2011) was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. He was considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean music i ...
was recruited as lead singer in 1973. A Medellin native, Julio Ernesto "Fruko" Estrada Rincón was expelled from school for fighting and began his musical career at the age of 15 as a studio musician for
Discos Fuentes Discos Fuentes is a record label based in Medellín, Colombia, South America. Founded in 1934 in Cartagena, Colombia, by Antonio Fuentes Estrada, Discos Fuentes was the country's first notable record label. The label was instrumental in introducing ...
record company. Noticed by
Lisandro Meza Lisandro Meza (El Piñal, Los Palmitos, Sucre, 26 September 1939) is a Colombian singer and accordionist. Since he started playing the accordion in 1959, Lisandro has been described as the “King of Cumbia,” “El Macho de America” (ENG: The ...
, Estrada was added to Meza's popular group, Los Corraleros de Majagual. In 1968, Los Corraleros traveled to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
giving Fruko his first opportunity to experience the city's burgeoning salsa scene. Fruko was influenced by New York City salsa greats
Richie Ray Ricardo "Richie" Ray (born February 15, 1945) is a Nuyorican (a New York-born Puerto Rican) virtuoso pianist, singer, music arranger, composer and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby ...
, Willie Colon,
Ray Barretto Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Lati ...
, and
Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...
. In the 1970s, Estrada helped mold the Colombian salsa scene, acting as arranger, bass player, studio musician, and bandleader for his Tesos as well as backing the highly successful Colombian salsa band,
The Latin Brothers The Latin Brothers is a Colombian salsa group originally led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, known as 'Fruko'. It was created by Antonio Fuentes of the label Discos Fuentes as a response to the rival salsa groups of the day. Original lead singer ...
, plus launching salsa acts Afrosound in 1973 and Wganda Kenya in 1976, Former lead singer Wilson Manyoma remembered Estrada as a strict leader. One of their most popular songs is "El Preso" recorded in 1975 and sung by Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma. In an interview, Estrada said it "became a world anthem of salsa music". The song was composed by the band's percussionist Álvaro Velásquez. The lyrics are the narration of a prisoner ("preso") serving 30 years. The actual inspiration for songwriter Velásquez was a friend's letter describing another friend's pain being jailed for 30 years on a drug charge. In 1998, when Colombia secured a position in that year's FIFA World Cup, Fruko came up with the team song: "La Pachanga Del Futbol." This proved to be one of Fruko's more endearing and infectious hits. In 2013, Estrada ran for the Colombian Senate on the ticket of the governing party of President
Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...
. In an interview with Colombia's
Semana ''Semana'' (Spanish: ''Week'') is a weekly magazine in Colombia. History ''Semana'' was founded in 1946 by Alberto Lleras Camargo (who would become president of Colombia in 1958) and that folded in 1961. It was relaunched by journalist Felipe L ...
, Fruko said his purpose was to "defend the arts", representing the rights of musicians who often outlive their commercial success. He was inspired by salsa musician
Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
who attained elected office in Panama. The nickname "Fruko" came from the advertising doll of a popular Colombian fruit company called FRUCO ("Frutera Colombiana"), for which friends saw a resemblance to Estrada. Estrada changed the "C" in the Fruco trademark to "K" to differentiate himself from the brand name. The name was ironic because the Fruco doll advertised tomato 'salsa', meaning tomato 'sauce', whereas "Fruko" Estrada introduced to Colombia the style of music also called 'salsa'.


Prominent former members


Joe Arroyo

"Fruko" Estrada discovered teenager Arroyo, who started by singing in bordellos, in 1972 and in 1973 installed him as primary
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
for Fruko y sus Tesos. Arroyo left to embark on a solo career, forming his Joe Arroyo y la Verdad group in 1981. Arroyo's "La Rebelión" is one of the most successful songs in the history of salsa music.


Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma

Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma, from
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
, Colombia was discovered by Fruko Estrada. Manyoma sang lead on some of the group's most important tracks, beginning on the album ''Ayunando'', and including "El Preso" before leaving to pursue a solo career.


Edulfamid "Piper Pimienta" Diaz

"Piper Pimienta" Díaz rotated lead vocals in the early 1970s before moving on to perform with
The Latin Brothers The Latin Brothers is a Colombian salsa group originally led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, known as 'Fruko'. It was created by Antonio Fuentes of the label Discos Fuentes as a response to the rival salsa groups of the day. Original lead singer ...
and recording solo.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fruko y sus Tesos Colombian salsa musical groups Musical groups established in 1970