Alberto Gonzalez talks about his book on Hector Lavoe and his experience with ‘‘El Jibarito de Ponce’’

As an artist, one of the most noble actions to be taken is to honor the great artists whose legacy inspired later generations, including those who pay homage to them today. Proof of this is the talented bandleader, composer, singer, and now author, Alberto González, whom we thank for sharing his story and various facets of his life with us, including his role as the author of a book about “the singer of all singers,” Hector Lavoe. 

Alberto’s initial interest in music

Alberto’s initial interest in music began with an aunt from Puerto Rico who went to live with him and his parents in Chicago. She loved the music of Raphael and Sandro, so her nephew listened to them practically every day and ended up falling in love with the great voices from back then.

Gradually, Alberto began to learn those songs and was unknowingly taking his first steps to becoming a professional singer sooner rather than later. However, it did not stop there, as his parents and older brother bought Puerto Rican salsa records that caught his attention.

Among the artists his brother used to listen to were Eddie Palmieri, La Sonora Ponceña, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Willie Colón, and the one who would become his greatest idol and inspiration, Hector Lavoe. 

Over time, his brother became a professional trumpet player and played with a wide breadth of salsa orchestras in Chicago. Since the young musician always heard Alberto singing those same songs at home, by the year 1979, he suggested him to audition for a new group of young salsa musicians his manager was organizing, which he crazily accepted. The first song they gave him to learn was one by Hector Lavoe and Willie Colón called “Gozo”.

Finally, the audition was a great success and Alberto joined La Típica Leal 79. The story behind this name is very interesting, as the manager, Carlos Caribe Ruíz, named his group this way because all the members of his previous orchestra, La Juventud Típica, decided one day to quit and leave him alone. For this reason, he decided to create a new project and add the word “Leal” (loyal in English) to the name, as he hoped this new youth group would not leave just like the previous one did.

Some time later, he would sing with the Orquesta La Inspiración Latina and the Orquesta Yambo. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began working with Johnny Polanco y Su Conjunto Amistad, becoming one of their main vocalists and traveling the world with him and his orchestra.

Orquesta Salsa Caliente

When he left Johnny Polanco’s orchestra, Alberto finally felt ready to form his own group, and that is how the Orquesta Salsa Caliente was born. Today, some of the musicians who started the project are still there, but others have joined on the way, and others to replace those who cannot play for a particular event. 

However, today the artist is highly focused on his role as an author, so he is not paying too much attention to the group. His new book, ‘‘Hector Lavoe and Associates’’, is monopolizing most of his time. 

His story with Hector Lavoe

Returning to the past, after Alberto was selected to join La Típica Leal 79, Carlos Caribe told Alberto’s brother that he had performed Hector Lavoe and Willie Colón’s song “Gozo” excellently well, so he gave him the opportunity to prove himself with the orchestra and asked him to perform another song by the aforementioned artists. Soon, Hector Lavoe became one of his favorite singers due to his tone of voice and breathing, to the point that his bandmates called him “Baby Lavoe.”

That same year, the young man learned that Héctor and his orchestra were going to play in Chicago, so he asked Caribe to take him there to see his great idol and, if possible, introduce him. He met him before going up to sing, and during one of the breaks, he could take a picture with him and still keeps it with affection to this day. That night, he realized that Héctor was a “man of the people” due to his humility and good treatment to others. This was one of the things that led him to write a book about his life and experiences with him, since many criticise him for his personal affairs and other negative issues, but do not know the most human and noble side of the artist.

One and a half years on, La Típica Leal 79 was given the opportunity to open for Celia Cruz and Héctor Lavoe in one of the most important dance halls in the city, where the greatest salsa artists of the time played. Again, Alberto was able to share a conversation with Héctor and take more pictures with him, proving once again his humility and great human quality.

This and other experiences were documented by the author in his book, for which he interviewed about eight other musicians who also had the honor of sharing with Lavoe. In the book, you can find some of the artists’ musical experiences and anecdotes they lived alongside “El Jibarito de Ponce.” Among these musicians are Gilberto Colon Jr., Eddie Montalvo, Jose Mangual Jr., Louie Romero, Eric Matos, Ray Feliciano, Danny Rosado, and Chino Núñez.

Alberto called the book “Héctor Lavoe and Associates,” inspired by Willie Colón’s 1978 album “Willie Colón and Associates.”

Some anecdotes shared by the musicians in the book

Among the many anecdotes that can be read in the book, Alberto told us one in which, on one occasion, a group of Héctor Lavoe’s musicians had their vehicle unlocked and all their instruments and luggage were stolen. When Héctor was told what had happened, he bought them new instruments the next day, told them not to worry, and did not charge them a penny for the expense. 

Another story tells how a trumpet player who worked with Héctor dropped his trumpet on the floor and it broke down completely. Then, Héctor gave him about $1,000 to buy a new trumpet and, once again, did not charge him anything for it.

These are just a few of the many stories that could be said about Héctor Lavoe in the more than 400 pages of the book, when it goes on sale in the coming months. Alberto is very happy to be able to share them with the general public.

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