Kevin Ceballo (born October 12, 1977) is a

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...

singer of Puerto Rican descent.

Early years

Ceballo's parents moved from Puerto Rico and settled in Manhattan where Ceballo was born. They were Seventh-Day Adventists and as such Ceballo was exposed to and enjoyed the gospel singing at his House of Worship. In his household "salsa" and other types of popular music were considered taboo, this however did not keep young Ceballo from listening to Latin music, which he secretly enjoyed, behind his parents back. During his teen years he came more and more into contact with the music he would grow to love.Kevin Ceballo's Official Website
Popular Culture
Ceballo attended the famed High School of the Performing Arts in New York. There he dreamed of pursuing a career in singing and acting. At times when he was not in school, Ceballo would sing as back-up for any local salsa group that would require his services.

Singing debut

In 1997, Ceballo caught the attention of pianist

Isidro Infante Isidro is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Saints *Saint Isidore the Laborer (c. 1070 – died 1130), the patron saint of farmers of Madrid (Spain) and La Ceiba (Honduras) *Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 – died 636), schola ...

, while singing at a local night club. Infante was impressed with Kevin and asked him if he would like to join his group as one of the lead singers. He took Infante up on his offer and soon was featured in the CD recording "''Licencia Para Engañar''" (License to Deceive), which was released in 1998. The CD included "''Cuando Pienso en Tí''" (When I think of You), composed by Ceballo. He traveled all over the world with Infantes band. La India, a Puerto Rican salsa singer, asked Ceballo to sing back-up for her CD "''Sobre el Fuego''" (On the Fire), which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Solo debut

The year 2000, was the year that Ceballo made his debut as a solo singer, when he recorded his CD Mi Primer Amor''" (My First Love). The CD also featured two other compositions by him, "''Que Clase de Hombre''" (What kind of Man) and "''Quiero Bailar''" (I want to Dance). His CD became a number one hit in the Latin music charts. Ceballo was named "New Artist of the Year'. Besides singing with La India, Ceballo had also performed with

Celia Cruz Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during t ...

, Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri. On October 20, 2002, Ceballo headlined a free concert at the Verizon Music Festival held in Washington, D.C., with the participation of the late

. On April 11, 2003, Ceballo played with

Jimmy Bosch Jimmy Bosch (born 18 October 1959), also known as "El Trombon Criollo", is a jazz and Salsa Music trombonist composer and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was raised in Hoboken, NJ and graduated from Hoboken ...

at the Copacabana Nightclub in New York. That year he also recorded "''Yo Soy Ese Hombre''" (I'm that Man) which was produced by Infante. The album included "Eternamente Te Amaré", a salsa interpretation of the

Angela Via "I Don't Care" is a pop song by American singer and actor Angela Via, written by David Frank, Steve Kipner and Pamela Sheyne. Note: User may have to enter details, i.e. at Work ID: 390730664 It was produced by Frank and Kipner for Via's self-tit ...

and

Frankie Negrón Frankie Negrón (born January 21, 1977, in Newark, New Jersey) is a singer of salsa music and actor of Puerto Rican descent. He is among a group of notable young tropical singers and ''soneros'' who have woven a blend of pop, rock, gospel music ...

duet recorded in 2000. On June 26, 2004, Ceballo performed as the headliner in the "Latino Fest" celebrated at Patterson Park in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceballo, Kevin 1977 births Living people American salsa musicians American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Universal Music Latino artists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers

Early years

Singing debut

Solo debut

See also

References