Kevin Ceballo (born October 12, 1977) is a
salsa music singer of
Puerto Rican descent.
Early years
Ceballo's parents moved from
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
and settled in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
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
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
, 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](_blank)
[Popular Culture](_blank)
Ceballo attended the famed
High School of the Performing Arts
The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a Public school (government funded), public Alternative school, alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New Y ...
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, 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
Linda Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), better known as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy ...
, 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
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
.
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,
Tito Puente
Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...
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 ...
.
On October 20, 2002, Ceballo headlined a free concert at the Verizon Music Festival held in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, with the participation of the late
Celia Cruz. On April 11, 2003, Ceballo played with
Jimmy Bosch 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 and
Frankie Negrón 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 List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
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