Search Results for: music
Asia / February 2025
Charlie Cardona
Latin America / Colombia / Bogota
Born on July 8 in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Who since he was a child had an inclination for music, especially for singing, inheriting this artistic vein from his father. Charlie Cardona in his childhood sang with his brothers, at family gatherings, later with groups of friends and later he came to the stage with different musical groups in renowned night spots in the Colombian capital.

The opportunity to start his professional career was presented to him the same night he received his bachelor’s degree when he made his debut with LA MÁXIMA DE MAÑUNGO, an outstanding orchestra in Colombian folk music that he joined for two years, hence his taste for this genre.
In 1987 he began his studies of Solfeggio and Singing at the National University of Colombia, shortly after he met a group of musicians with whom he began in the salsa environment and through them he had contact with the producer and percussionist Willie Salcedo who is the one who takes for the first time to the recording studios where he begins singing jingles and choirs for different groups.
Year later, Charlie Cardona recorded with the tropical group FUERZA CARIBE, the song TE QUIERO under the production of the Ramírez brothers, being the beginning of a great list of successes in the voice of this great interpreter.
In 1989 with LOS ALFA 8 he recorded the songs TU Y YO and AL ROJO VIVO, songs that were his first hits in the Salsa genre, which became very popular on radio in Latin America and the United States.

In September 1990, he was called by Jairo Varela, director of GRUPO NICHE, to be part of the most important salsa institution in Colombia. For Charlie Cardona, it was his great trial by fire; He leaves his beloved Bogotá and settles definitively in Cali. Cardona assumes responsibility for a repertoire full of successes that in less than a month lead him to debut in the framework of the National Beauty Reign, a concert that is televised live throughout Colombia and they are the witnesses of the launch of the new star of the Colombian sauce.
In 1993 he recorded the songs DUELE MÁS, LAS TRES SON CARIBE and UN ALTO EN EL CAMINO, the theme and title of the album for which they received the award for Best Tropical/Salsa Group of the year at the Premios lo Nuestro de la Música Latina.
Charlie Cardona, with his voice and style, reflected his artistic acumen in five records over six years at the head of GRUPO NICHE until July 1996, the date when he retired from this institution to make his dream come true, to start his career as a soloist. In May 1997 he signs with the WEA Latina label and it is the beginning of his solo career, his first album, made in New York City under the direction of the outstanding musician and producer Sergio George.
El Amor Todo Lo Poder is the title of his second production as a soloist, which was made in 1999 in the city of Miami, where he presents us with a more mature Artist interpreting excellent songs, among which stand out PARA OLVIDARLA, TONTO CORAZÓN, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and I ASK YOU FOR PEACE, the latter dedicated to his Colombian land.

In the same year he is nominated in the category of Revelation Artist of the Year at the Lo Nuestro Awards for Latin Music. In 2008, he released his third musical production Para Ser Feliz, the first under the NL Entertainment label, where he presents nine songs dedicated to love, family and God, including the hits LA MUJER DE MI VIDA and YOUR HANDS / CARPINTERO DEL LOVE.
From this musical history it can be concluded without a doubt that Cardona is a Colombian artist with international recognition, who remains present in several generations of different countries of the world with great acceptance, recognition and remembrance, with a large discography full of successes. Charlie studied Advertising and Marketing at the Central University of Bogotá, although it was a great effort to fulfill these two great commitments, he recognizes that the two careers complement each other and enrich his professional life.
In addition to being a great singer, this incredible artist is an excellent communicator; In 1999, he presented the program THANK YOU TO GOD SALSA for two years, on Radio Caracol’s Tropicana Estéreo station in the city of Cali, achieving first place in all of southwestern Colombia.
Cardona currently resides in Colombia with his family, focusing on soccer, swimming and athletics in his spare time. BUENA FORTUNA is the title of his new musical production, a work that was recently presented to the tropical music market.
It is the fourth in his solo career and was produced by N.L. ENTERTAINMENT. BUENA FORTUNA is the result of the mixture of the talent of a varied and significant number of Colombian and foreign artists, instrumentalists and arrangers, all successful in the salsa market of which our award-winning artist is a part and makes history, always leaving the name of his beloved high. Colombia.

With CHARLIE CARDONA Salsa has a great interpreter, and music a unique vocalist. GOOD FORTUNE to all!
Latin America / January 2025
Fundación Cultural Madera 15 where Brotherhood, Sports, Dance and Salsa go Hand in Hand
By the end of the 70’s and beginning of the 80’s a group of young people from different parts of the country gathered by chance in the same sector 4 de las Mercedes in La Victoria, Aragua State, began to listen to the new genre of the time, the popular “Salsa”.

Each one with different tastes but without leaving the genre, they felt the desire to imitate the Venezuelan and international bands they knew through the Lps, so every weekend they organized themselves to play their instruments with musicians already studied and the guataqueros in an empirical way.
These meetings became more and more frequent and due to the need of an acquaintance of the zone to have a salsa group they decided to form the first salsa group of the sector called “El Quinto Sonero”, then years later with many of the members of the previous group they formed the group “Juancito y su Son” and years later the “Conjunto Sabor”.
It is worth mentioning that the rehearsals of the different groups took place in the homes of some of the members, playing songs by Ray Barreto; Eddie Palmieri; Dimensión Latina; Grupo Mango; Trabuco Venezolano Grupo Libre and of course Grupo Madera, among others.
By the end of the 80’s this same group of young people always supported by their families decided to formalize all the events that took place during the year, thus creating the “Madera 15 Foundation” unifying culture, sports, art and dance all in what was once a “Little Square” and over the years became a court, which would become its main location.
Its name is due to the admiration that everyone felt for Grupo Madera and product of its unexpected accident in which most of its members lost their lives on August 15, 1980.

For this reason the affection and the interpretation of many of their songs and the attendance to their concerts. Once the tragedy occurred, the passion for the Caracas group grew, specifically in the Marín neighborhood of San Agustín del Sur, which was invited to the inauguration of the Cancha in 1989, an invitation that was accepted and it was possible to enjoy three days of Afro-Caribbean songs and dances among neighbors and people close to the area.
From then on, cultural, recreational and sporting activities are carried out and one of the most important meetings is organized every year on December 31st, where the Guataca de Fin de Año is held, which began as an informal meeting of these young people every year-end, specifically on the 31st of the year, and continued with a soup on January 1st, welcoming the new year.
Currently by decree of the Mayor of the Municipality of Ribas in La Victoria Aragua State, specifically by Mayor Juan Carlos “Jaimito” Sanchez in his 1st term in 2012, the Municipal Day of Salsa is celebrated, and are invited to cultors and musicians from different parts of the country to participate in this special date with all attendees, which enjoy a unique day full of much feeling.
For years, all kinds of musicians, orchestras, groups and salsa characters that have exalted the salsa culture, as well as characters of the gaita and folklore, have passed through the festival.
Today, the tradition of the Guataca is still maintained, paying tribute to the life of its famous characters and remembering those who left for another plane and those who unfortunately emigrated.
Hand in hand with the music was also formed the dance group of the area called in its beginnings “Los Gurrugurru” which performed nationalist dances and sang aguinaldos and parranda every Christmas. Today there is still a dance group called “Danzas Tricolor” also dancing all the national folkloric dances.

Through both groups passed the great majority of the young people of the sector and after generations their children and now grandchildren, all under the direction of Griseida and Mileyda Batidas.
It is important to highlight some emblematic names of the foundation among them stand out:
Benilde (RIP), Mercedes (RIP), Ligia (RIP), Aminta (RIP), Alicia (RIP), Carmen (RIP), , Williams (RIP), Santana (RIP), Agustín (RIP), Neptali (RIP), Mileyda (RIP), Ángel Miguel (RIP), Amalia, Dinora, Raquel, Adela, Eugenia, Ángel, Jaime, Nelly, Entre otros.
Participating Families:
Los Bauter, Los Yanes, Los Ascanio, Los Bastidas Salazar, Los Momplasiert, Los Power, Los Anzolar, Los Escalona, Los Guevara and many more.
Memorable sites
La Placita, La Cancha, La Matica de Amalia, La Esquina de los Bauter, and El Terreno.
There the traces of all those who in their time gave their hearts for the good of the most rumbustious sector of La Victoria were captured.
This message goes to them:
MADERA 15 we are all and even those who left.
Collaboration and Main Source:
Lcda. Shinaury Rojas / Publicist for Salsa Escrita
Photographer Nelson Bauter

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