Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

BATAAN, Joe

(b Peter Nitrollando Jr, 15 May '42 NYC of African-American and Philippine parents) Bandleader, pianist, singer, composer. Teenaged gang leader, high school drop-out and car thief acquired basic musical education and high school diploma in prison, later studied piano (infl. by Eddie Palmieri) and formed a band at an El Barrio youth centre, rehearsing it intensively for six months to spite bandleader Johnny Colon, a former school friend who had ordered him out of a rehearsal of his new band. Bataan joined new Fania label '67; first LP was Gypsy Woman, with own hit title song and 'Ordinary Guy', described in sleeve note as Latin soul; then Subway Joe '68 with title hit; then Riot! '68 (with 'My Cloud') went gold. 'Gypsy Woman' and 'Subway Joe' crossed over on to black radio. He featured on Fania All-Stars Live At The Red Garter '68 (two vols), on Vol. 2 singing Marvin Gaye's 'If This World Were Mine'. He won crossover success by blending two musical cultures incl. styles from both from doo-wop to mambo; won Far ndula magazine award for Best Small Band '68; other LPs on Fania c'69--72 incl. Poor Boy, Singin' Some Soul, Mr New York And The East Side Kids, Sweet Soul and Saint Latin's Day Massacre. Broke contract with Fania and co-founded short- lived Ghetto Records, but Fania contract prevented him from recording; after release from Fania, made Salsoul '73 on Mericana, incl. hits 'The Latin Strut', 'Johnny's No Good' (cover by rock group Blonde Latin became a big hit in France); got airplay outside Latin stations via R&B disc jockey Frankie Crocker and sold 20,000 the first week. Prod. own Afrofilipino '75 on Mericana's new Salsoul subsidiary (Epic distributed the album) incl. US and UK disco hit 'The Bottle' (La Botella), instrumental version of Gil Scott Heron song; personnel incl. David Sanborn on alto and baritone sax. Left Salsoul mid-'70s due to differences with label boss Joe Cayre; LaSo (as in Latin Soul) '76 on MCA used Brazilian rhythms in disco--soul--Latin fusion, but flopped. Mestizo '80 (aka Rap-O Clap-O), with the Mestizo Band back on Salsoul, incl. international dance hit 'Rap-O Clap-O', early cross of Latin with rap; Joe Bataan II '81 (reissued '96) was his Salsoul finale. He has worked as youth counsellor in the Bronx since mid-'80s; after a ten-year break from performing, made comeback April '95 to tumultuous response at a benefit concert at Hostos College in the Bronx, on the same bill as Tito Puente and Dave Valentin; a new CD is in preparation. UK compilation Mr New York '89 on Caliente culled tracks from Bataan's Fania albums.