Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez was born on September 30, 1946, by profession he developed a long career as a singer-songwriter and salsa music producer. In the industry he was known by the stage name of Héctor Lavoe. This artist, interpreter of songs like “Aguanile” and “El Cantante”, was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and passed away on a day like today, June 29, 1993.
His life was marked by tragedy. In his biography, it is recognized that Lavoe lived through strong stages of depression, he also had problems due to drug abuse and AIDS, which led the singer to a sad end at the age of 46.
In Hollywood, Jennifer López and Marc Anthony exposed his biography in the film “El Cantante”, where Marc brought him back to life with his interpretation. The film was released in 2006 and although the criticism was not entirely favorable, the public acceptance by Google users is currently 81% percent.
The name given to the tape is highly emblematic, because the Lavoe song of the same name exposes the painful interior of the artist. In this theme Héctor allowed himself to sing about the deepest wounds of his soul and exposed his sorrow and pain by singing.
Sadly in “El Cantante”, Lavoe tells us: “Nobody asks if I suffer, if I cry, if I have a grief that hurts very deeply. I am the singer because my thing is to sing, and the public pays to be able to listen to me”. The emptiness that he exposes in this part of the song is literally heartbreaking, here he tells us out loud how alone an artist of his caliber can be even when surrounded by millions of people, knowing that he is loved by a part of himself that is not necessarily exposes all that he is.
But the message in this song is also lethal for all those who live simply by criticizing, to all of them the salsa singer says: “They are better than those of yesterday, compare me critics; If you don’t love me while I’m alive, when I die, don’t cry for me. I sing to you of life, forget your sorrows and your pains; dance if you want to dance, sing if you want to sing, mom… Today I dedicate my best proclamations to you”.
The current and future generations of this music industry should pay close attention to “El Cantante” today, the late artist left valid advice there. Singing to all of them, he left them: “My greetings to Celia, Rivera, Feliciano… those are great singers. They really sing, they always make people enjoy. Listen well to his singing, learn from the best”.
Héctor sang to Ponce, his native land
“Ponce is Ponce”, says Héctor Lavoe. In his theme, the salsa singer travels through all the corners of his town, which he describes with names and allegories, thus highlighting the importance of each place that marked his life and thus his musical history.
“My song is for you, stately city called by all, “Perla Sureña””, exclaims Lavoe, who never stopped loving Puerto Rico and its Ponce, a land from which many other great salsa artists have emerged, whom he himself recognizes. in this topic with name and surname saying: “Tito Puente, Papo Lucca, Eddie Palmieri, my brother Cheo Feliciano I tell you, Pete “El Conde de Ponce” -that’s where the braves come from”.
“Ponce”, his song, is a song with which he honors everything and everyone, the geography of his land, its singers and others like Senator Fernández to whom he sang like this: “A ‘greetings’ to whom it is due to Ruth Fernandez, senator, champion of women”.
His life was indeed marked by the tragedy of addictions and illness, but his legacy goes further, much further. Héctor Lavoe has been dead for 30 years, but he still lives on forever in every lyric of his songs and in the music that has inspired so many others to sing, dance and have fun.
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