Ubaldo Rodríguez Santos (May 16, 1958 – December 13, 2022), known professionally as Lalo Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican
salsa singer recognized as one of the pioneers of the subgenre of
Romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
or Erotic Salsa.
Early life
Rodriguez was born in
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
on May 16, 1958
to parents Magdalena Santos and Jose Rodriguez. At age nine, he started singing in traditional Puerto Rican festivals, as well as on radio and television programs. "Rodríguez won a children's talent contest at the age of seven and at 12 he was part of the Tempo Moderno orchestra, in which he remained for four years."
Early career
In 1973, at 15 years of age, with the help of producer
Harvey Averne
Harvey Averne (born 1936, Brooklyn, New York) has been described as "one of several prominent Jewish Americans in New York's bustling Latin music scene."
Introduction
Harvey Averne is an American record producer, and the founder of CoCo Record ...
, Rodríguez moved from Puerto Rico to New York to join
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 ...
's band.
His debut album at the age of 17 was Palmieri's ''Sun of Latin Music,'' with Rodriguez providing vocals for the album's hit song "Un Dia Bonito" (a Beutiful Day) as well as “Nada de ti” (Nothing of you), “Nunca contigo” (Never with you) and “Deseo salvaje” (Wild desire) - a
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It ha ...
written by Rodríguez. This 1975 album would be the first Salsa album to win a
Grammy
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 pres ...
at the 18th Grammy Awards.
A year later he sang on ''Unfinished Masterpiece'', which was nominated for a Grammy at 19th Grammy Awards in 1976. Palmieri gave him his new first name "Lalo." After leaving Palmieri, he was invited to join,
Machito
Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. Ginell, Richard S. ''Biography''. Allmusic, 2011/ref> He w ...
Grillo's Orchestra where they recorded the album “Fireworks“, which was also nominated for a Grammy. By the age of 18, he had recorded 3 albums, the first won a Grammy and the other two were nominated for Grammy awards. Thereafter, Rodríguez returned to Puerto Rico where he joined
Tommy Olivencia's group.
In 1980, Rodríguez "went solo," releasing his first studio album ''
Simplemente... Lalo'' featuring the salsa classic "Tu No Sabes Querer" (You don't know how to love).
During the 1980s Rodriguez recorded a total of six albums. As a result of these recordings, he has been recognized as one of the pioneers of the subgenre of
Romantic or Erotic Salsa which is described as having "light, frothy songs with erotic lyrics."
"Rodriguez’s ''
Ven Devórame Otra Vez
Ven may refer to:
Places
* Ven, Heeze-Leende, a hamlet in the Netherlands
* Ven (Sweden), an island
* Ven, Tajikistan, a town
* VEN or Venezuela
Other uses
* von Economo neurons, also called ''spindle neurons''
* '' Vên'', an EP by Eluveiti ...
'' (Come devour me once more), with its celebrated reference to moistened bed linen, was a prime example
f salsa romantica
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
”
Rodríguez was awarded "Tropical Song of the Year" at the
Lo Nuestro Awards
The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...
in 1989 for the hit, "
Ven, Devórame Otra Vez". The song charted #10 on the Hot Latin Tracks.
Other late 1980's early 1990's salsa romantica contemporaries include
Eddie Santiago
Eddie Santiago (born Eduardo Santiago Rodríguez, August 18, 1955) is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.
Early years
At a young age, Santiago demonstrated great love for salsa music. He performed with several groups, including Generación 2000, ...
,
Frankie Ruiz
José Antonio Torresola Ruiz better known as Frankie Ruiz (March 10, 1958 – August 9, 1998) was an American salsa singer and songwriter of Puerto Rican descent. He was a major figure in the ''salsa romántica'' subgenre that was popular in the ...
and Anthony Cruz. Rodriguez was known for a charismatic stage presence and he often interacted with his audience in the tradition of the great
Cheo Feliciano
Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first tropical singer to perform at the "Amira de ...
.
Later career
Throughout the early and mid 1990s, Rodríguez continued to record and produce new albums. In 1994, he was brought back to the Copacabana of New York by
Chino Rodríguez, who became Rodríguez's manager for a short period and had
Harvey Averne
Harvey Averne (born 1936, Brooklyn, New York) has been described as "one of several prominent Jewish Americans in New York's bustling Latin music scene."
Introduction
Harvey Averne is an American record producer, and the founder of CoCo Record ...
talk to Capitol EMI Latin to re-record Rodríguez with the project ''
Nací Para Cantar'', which sold RIAA Platinum. Rodríguez's final album to date, ''
Estoy Aquí
"Estoy Aquí" () is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, taken from her third studio album '' Pies Descalzos'' (1995). It was released in 1995 by Sony Music and Columbia Records as the lead single from the album. The song was writte ...
'', was released in 1996.
After a long absence from recording, Rodríguez returned in the late 2000s with a new album entitled ''Con Todo Mi Corazon'', an album that had not been released to the public as of 2013. On January 30, 2020, Rodríguez announced that the release of this album would officially happen later in the year, though an exact date had not been confirmed as of 2021.
Personal life
Marriage and family
Rodríguez resided in
Orlando, Florida for more than 20 years with his wife Wanda Torres, whom he married in 1986. The couple had four children, one of whom was adopted in 2006. In a 2020 interview with ''
El Vocero
''El Vocero de Puerto Rico'' is a Puerto Rican free newspaper that is published in San Juan. Published since 1974, ''El Vocero'' was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing '' El Mundo'' and ''El Nuevo Día'' and l ...
'', Rodríguez stated that he had filed for divorce from Torres and had relocated to Puerto Rico.
Legal issues
Throughout much of his career, Rodríguez had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, which led him to problems with his family and the law.
Rodríguez was arrested on March 20, 2011, and charged with
domestic violence, accused of attempting to strangle his wife Wanda. He posted $1,500 shortly afterwards, but was arrested again in May for possession of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
and violating his restraining order by contacting his wife.
In an interview with ''
Primera Hora'', Rodríguez recalled the events differently from what his wife had originally told the media, citing that he had accused her of infidelity and wanted a divorce (though both would ultimately reconcile). Rodríguez was eventually released in July and placed on two years of probation and drug rehabilitation.
Death
Rodríguez died in Carolina, Puerto Rico on December 13, 2022, at the age of 64. He was buried at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Carolina.
Discography
Contributing artist
* 1974: ''The Sun of Latin Music'' (with
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 ...
)
* 1975: ''Unfinished Masterpiece'' (with Eddie Palmieri)
* 1977: ''Fireworks'' (with
Machito
Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. Ginell, Richard S. ''Biography''. Allmusic, 2011/ref> He w ...
)
Studio albums
* 1980: ''
Simplemente... Lalo''
* 1982: ''
Nuevamente... Lalo''
* 1985: ''
El Niño, el Hombre, el Soñador, el Loco''
* 1987: ''
Punto y Coma''
* 1988: ''
Un Nuevo Despertar''
* 1989: ''
Sexsacional..!''
* 1992: ''
De Vuelta en la Trampa''
* 1994: ''
Nací Para Cantar''
* 1996: ''
Estoy Aquí
"Estoy Aquí" () is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, taken from her third studio album '' Pies Descalzos'' (1995). It was released in 1995 by Sony Music and Columbia Records as the lead single from the album. The song was writte ...
''
* ''Con Todo Mi Corazon'' (unreleased)
Reissue albums
* 1990: ''
Una Voz Para Escuchar
''Nuevamente... Lalo'' (''Again... Lalo'') is a studio album by Lalo Rodríguez released by Global Records in 1982. The sequel to his debut album, '' Simplemente... Lalo'' contains songs written by Rodríguez himself, as well as by Tite Curet Alo ...
'' (reissue of ''Nuevamente... Lalo'')
* 1991: ''
¡Plena-Mente, Lalo!'' (reissue of ''El Niño, el Hombre, el Soñador, el Loco'')
* 1992: ''
Como Siempre Lalo'' (reissue of ''Punto y Coma'')
Compilation albums
* 1981: ''Evolución''
* 1981: ''Simplemente Lalo... Otra Vez''
* 1994: ''Oro Salsero: 20 Éxitos''
* 1995: ''Lalo Rodríguez y la Salsa Mayor''
* 1997: ''Colección: Mi Historia''
* 2000: ''Serie Sensacional''
* 2002: ''Edicion Limitada''
* 2003: ''Antologia''
* 2004: ''Serie Top 10''
* 2006: ''Pura Salsa''
* 2008: ''The Greatest Salsa Ever''
* 2013: ''12 Favoritas''
* 2015: ''Salsa Legends''
See also
*
Salsa
*
Salsa Romantica
*
Music of Puerto Rico
The music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have included European, Indigenous, and African influences, although many aspects of P ...
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
List of number-one Billboard Tropical Albums from the 1980s
References
External links
Official MySpace Site*
*
*
Grammy Awards winnersat Grammy.com (searchable database)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Lalo
1958 births
2022 deaths
People from Carolina, Puerto Rico
Rodven Records artists
Salsa musicians
20th-century Puerto Rican male singers
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers
Lalo Rodríguez albums