Ralfi Pagán (born Rafael Pagán; 1946–1978) was a
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York-based Latin soul
Latin soul (sometimes used synonymously with Boogaloo) was a short-lived musical genre that had developed in the 1960s in New York City. It had consisted of a blend of Cuban mambo with elements of Latin jazz and soul music. Although short-lived, ...
and
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 ...
singer of
Puerto Rican and
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
parentage who was active from the mid-1960s until his death in 1978. He specialized in soul ballads sung both in Spanish and English and released five albums during the 1970s. He is well known for the duet with
Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson (née Vanderpool; May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011) was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with ...
entitled ''Soul Je T'aime'' and for his solo reworking of ''Make It With You'' previously recorded by
David Gates
David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts i ...
and
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
. Ralfi toured with legendary music producer and promoter
Eddie Torres
Eddie Torres (born July 3, 1950), also known as "The Mambo King", is a salsa dance instructor and choreographer. Torres' technique developed from various sources including Afro-Cuban son, mambo, and North American jazz dance. His dancing is charac ...
for several years throughout the Southwest United States. Prior to leaving on tour Ralfi visited Eddie’s home to share he was leaving to Colombia. Eddie told Ralfi he had a bad feeling about the trip. Eddie advised Ralfi not to go. Ralfi went to Colombia against Torres’ advise. In 1978, he was murdered while on a promotional tour in
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 ...
,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. His murder remains unsolved.
Early career
The first recording released by Pagán was an all-but-unnoticed 45RPM single recorded in New York and released in 1966 on the
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
label under the name Ray Paige. Subsequently, as a backing vocalist Pagán featured on a number of recordings by
King Nando
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
's Orchestra (real name Fernando Rivera) before in 1969, Pagán released the self-titled album, ''Ralfi Pagan'', on
Fania Records
Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his Brooklyn-born Italian-American ex-New York City Police Officer turned lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its nam ...
produced by Kenny Vance. Issued twice, first with all Spanish sung titles and shortly after with four English song titles substituted for four Spanish titles Pagán's falsetto tenor favored ballads such as ''Who Is The Girl For Me'', ''Don't Stop Now'', and ''I Can't See Me Without You''. This made him highly popular amongst young Hispanic Americans particularly in the urban centres of Los Angeles and New York where Pagán made a significant cultural impact. He was also adept on up-tempo salsa such as his cover of
Oscar Brown
Oscar Brown Jr. (October 10, 1926May 29, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor. Aside from his career, Brown ran unsuccessfully for office in both the Illinois state legislature and the U. ...
's ''Brother, Where Are You?''
In 1971 he broke through nationally with a Latin cover of ''
Make It With You
"Make It with You" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by American pop-rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member. Gates and drummer Mike Botts are the only members of the group to appear on the recording which was a No. ...
'' which entered the Billboard R&B chart on the 10 July 1971 for an eleven-week run during which it peaked at #32. It sold 250,000 copies nationally and Pagán appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show ''
Soul Train
''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...
'', making him one of the first
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
artists to ever appear on the program.
A second album ''With Love'' produced by Harvey Averne and Jerry Masucci and recorded in New York consolidated Pagán's status amongst urban Hispanics and Chicanos. A further R&B hit in 1973 with ''Soul Je T'Aime'', a duet with Sylvia Robinson on Vibration records was his last appearance on the national charts. The ''Ralfi'' album containing Latin soul and salsa-influenced tracks was released the same year.
In 1975 he released his fourth and final Fania album ''I Can See'' which included his distinctive take on
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
&
the Miracles
The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...
track ''
Ooh Baby Baby
"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It is a classic 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla ( Motown) label.
The song has inspired numerous other cover versions by other artists over the years, including ...
'' and the bittersweet ''Stay Out of My Life''.
Chicano favorite
By 1976 Pagán was based in Los Angeles where he connected with Colombian band leader drummer percussionist
Mike Rojas
Miguel Angel Rojas (born April 17, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player and current baseball manager. He played in Minor league baseball as a catcher from 1983 to 1984 for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays organizat ...
. He found particular favour among young Chicanos for whom his persona as a sensitive Latin lover resonated. In Los Angeles he recorded his last album ''El Flaco De Oro'' with Mike Rojas who features with a timbal solo on the song entitled "Cubita Triste". Ralfi became a regular on the thriving club and salsa dance circuit that included The Gold Dust on Garfield Avenue in Montebello, The King's Table in Pico Rivera, The Monterey West in East Los Angeles and the Mardi Gras across from
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated ...
.
Pagán maintained a parallel career as a salsa singer and as a latin style disco singer. He released ''Girl From The Mountain'' on Coco records in 1976, a record aimed primarily at the disco market. The album ''El Flaco De Oro,'' (sung entirely in Spanish), however, represented him as a salsa singer. This release appeared on Pumpkris Records, for whom he also handled production duties on an album by Johnny Nelson entitled ''Ralfi Pagan Presenta Johnny Nelson - El Principe de La Salsa.'' Pagán's final known release is the disco sounding "Take Me With You" b/w "Heaven Sent You" also on Pumpkris. An album ''Take Me With You'' was scheduled, but Pagán's early death curtailed its release.
Death in Colombia
Pagán had a large following in Latin America and regularly appeared in South America. Substituting for fellow Fania Records performer
Joe Bataan
Joe Bataan (also spelled Bataán) (born Bataan Nitollano; November 15, 1942) is a Latin soul musician from New York.
Early life
Joe Bataan was born Bataan Nitollano and grew up in the 103rd Street and Lexington Avenue part of East Harlem in New ...
whilst on tour in Colombia in 1978, Pagán was murdered. His family was told that a promoter arranged for his murder to avoid payment of money due with his body being left on a local beach.
Most of Pagán's back catalogue has been made available since the mid-1990s, and he is now probably better known to the general music-listening public than he was during his lifetime. A Fania track from 1973, "The Gambler", was featured in the
Leon Ichaso
Leon Ichaso (born August 3, 1948) is a Cuban-American writer and film director. Some of his prominent works include El Super, Bitter Sugar, and others.
Biography Early life
Leon Ichaso was born in Havana, Cuba, on August 3, 1948. Ichaso migrate ...
film ''Pinero'' (2001) starring
Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor and producer who has worked in film and on television. He had supporting roles in the 1990s in such box office hits as ''Demolition Man'' (1993), ''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), ...
as the poet-playwright-actor
Miguel Pinero
-->
Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to:
Places
*Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands
* São Miguel (disamb ...
.
Discography
Albums
*1971: ''Ralfi Pagan''
*1972: ''With Love''
*1973: ''Ralfi''
*1975: ''I Can See''
*1978: ''El Flaco de Oro''
*1978: ''Take Me With You'' (unreleased)
Selected Singles
*1966: ''Don't Stop Now / Ain't No Soul (Left In These Shoes)''
*1969: ''Who Is The Girl For Me''
*1970: ''Don't Stop Now''
*1971: ''Make It With You / Stray Woman'' (US #104; US R&B #32)
*1971: ''Mi Camacho / Negrona''
*1971: ''Baby I'm-A Want You / Look At Her''
*1971: ''I Can't See Me Without You''
*1972: ''Up On The Roof / The Gambler''
*1973: ''Soul Je T'Aime'' (with Sylvia)
*1974: ''Wonderful Thing / To Say I Love You''
*1975: ''Just For A Little While''
*1975: ''La Vida''
*1976: ''Girl From The Mountain''
*1978: ''Take Me With You / Heaven Sent You''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pagan, Ralfi
1947 births
1978 deaths
People from the Bronx
Record producers from New York (state)
American people of Puerto Rican descent
Fania Records artists
Salsa musicians
20th-century American singers
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American male singers