With a professional music career that spans 25 years, singer, bassist, bandleader, and composer Oscar D’Léon is probably one of Latin America’s best-known vocal improvisers. Brought to the attention of a wide audience by a string of salsa hits that topped the Billboard charts in the mid-1980s, D’Léon is known throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Japan, where he has entertained audiences with his extrovert singing, dancing, and bass playing.
Born on July 11, 1943, in Caracas, Venezuela, D’Léon soon came under the influence of the works of Cuban salsa masters Beny MORÉ, Celia CRUZ, Ricardo Rey, Bobby Cruz, and the Orquesta Sonora Matancera. Puerto Rican artists such as Cortijo and his Combo, Mario Ortiz, Tito Rodriguez and his orchestra, and Bobby Valentin also served as inspiration to D’Leon, as well as other Latin musicians who helped build the salsa craze in New York during the 1960s.
In the early 1970s, D’Léon was lead singer and played bass for one of Venezuela’s most popular bands, Dimensión Latina. The group put out six albums, which included many hits. These were compiled on the album Exitos de … Dimensión Latina.
In 1976, D’Léon left Dimensión Latina and created his own group, Salsa Mayor. The line-up included two trombones and two trumpets, including William Puchi (trombone) and Cesar Pinto (trumpet), as well as distinguished piano player Enrique “Culebra” Iriarte. D’Leon worked on three albums with Salsa Mayor, including their first, Con Bajo Y Todo (1976).
In 1978, Salsa Mayor split, but D’León, Iriarte, and Pinto joined together in the same year to record the album Oscar D’Léon y su Salsa Mayor con Wladimir. The album featured singer Wladimir Lozano, who had been vocalist with Dimensión Latina, and had a new instrumental line-up with an additional trumpet. During this same time, D’León also worked with the group La Crítica, singing lead on their 1978 hit “Se Necesita Rumbero.”
After his reunion with Lozano, D’León continued playing with a front line of three trumpets (including Pinto) and two trombones (Puchi and Iriarte). Alfredo Padilla added the timbales and Edgar “El Abuelo” Rodriguez helped with vocals. Together they made the albums El Mas Grande! and … Llegó … Actuó … Y… Triunfó …, AlFrente de Todos in 1980, and A Mí Sí Me Gusta Asi!, which they made in Puerto Rico in 1981 with yet another trumpet, trombone, and saxophone in the line-up.
During the early 1980s, D’León released several more albums. Some of his best work, however, came in the mid-1980s, including Riquiti…! and La Salsa Soy Yo, albums that turned him into an international salsa legend. In 1986, D’León left out the trumpets and many other instruments, retaining a brass section that consisted of trombones only. With this changed line-up, he began touring and captivated audiences all over the world with his exuberant performances. These include singing, playing bass, or improvising on his numerous hits, all the while dancing around the stage, often using his white baby-bass (a small, semi-acoustic upright bass) as his dancing partner.
D’León continues to perform in small and large venues, maintaining his status as a salsa legend by his spectacular and exciting showmanship.
Alison Bay
SEE ALSO:
CUBA; LATIN AMERICA; SALSA.
FURTHER READING
Gerard, Charlie. Salsa: The Rhythm of Latin Music
(Crown Point, IN: White Cliffs Media Company, 1986);
McMahon, Jacqueline Higuera.
Salsa (Lake Hughes, CA: Olive Press, 1986).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Con Bajo Y Todo; En Concierto; Exitos de … Dimension Latina; Exitos Vols. 1 and 2;
… Llegó … Actuó … Y… Triunfó …; El Mas Grande!\ Oro Salsero: 20 Exitos; Oscar D’León y su Salsa Mayor con Wladimir; Riquiti ..!; La Salsa Soy Yo; Sonero Del Mundo.