Born:
For the past 50 years, Johnny Pacheco has been at the “heart of the Latin music universe”. To start with, Pacheco is a world-class percussionist and flautist. Add to this his experimentation with musical forms plus the powerhouse of artists that recorded under the Fania Record label that he co-founded. Throw in a long and distinguished list of awards and induction into the Latin Music Hall of Fame and you start to get a peek at the lifelong musical wizardry of Johnny Pacheco.
Early Days:
As is the case with so many of the great musicians, Johnny Pacheco was introduced to music by his father, clarinetist and bandleader Rafael Azarias Pacheco. In 1946, the family moved to New York City from their home in the Dominican Republic In New York, Pacheco continued his musical studies until he was proficient with the accordion, violin, saxophone and clarinet. He later attended Julliard, where he studied percussion and evolved into one of the best percussionists of his era
Pacheco started performing as a freelance drummer. At the time, the popularity of the mambo bands was waning and Cuban-style charanga groups were taking their place. Gilberto Valdez, an influential proponent of charanga, hired Pacheco to play with his group and introduced him to the Cuban flute. With all the many instruments available to him, it was ultimately the flute that brought Pacheco fame
The Pachanga:
In 1959, Pacheco teamed up with Charlie Palmieri and formed Charanga Duboney. The partnership lasted a brief 8 months, the partnership broke up and Pacheco formed ‘Pacheco Y Su Charanga’. This band was hugely successful, making albums and touring the world until 1963. It was also during this time that Pacheco introduced and promoted the “pachanga”, which ultimately became the dance craze of the time
Fania Records:
In 1964, Pacheco met Italian-American attorney Jerry Masucci at a hotel party. The result of that meeting was the formation of Fania Records, probably the most influential record label in Latin music history and the record label responsible for influencing the music we call salsa during its formative, New York adolescence.
Fania All-Stars:
In 1968, Pacheco formed the Fania All-Stars as a showcase for the many phenomenal musicians that now performed for Fania. While the slate of musicians changed over time, Willie Colon, Ray Barretto, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and Hector Lavoe were just a few of the stellar Latin artists that, at one time or another, were members of the Fania All-Stars.
While the Fania label was sold to EMusic in 2005, Johnny Pacheco and the Fania All-Stars continue to bring salsa to the world.
Listen to Johnny Pacheco:
El Maestro
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The Latin Kings(with Machito)
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Pacheco Y Su Charanga
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