"El Cantante" is the 1978 signature song of Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe and first single of the album Comedia. The song was written by Rubén Blades and produced by Willie Colón.[1] The 2006 movie about Lavoe's life, El Cantante, takes its title from the song. In 2024, the song was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
| "El Cantante" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Héctor Lavoe | |
| from the album Comedia and Doble Filo | |
| Language | Spanish |
| English title | The Singer |
| Released | 1978 |
| Genre | Salsa |
| Length | 10:23 |
| Label | Fania |
| Songwriter(s) | Rubén Blades |
| Producer(s) | Willie Colón |
Ángel López version
editIn late 2004 Puerto Rican singer Ángel López released a cover of the song as a solo artist after being the lead singer of the group Son By Four. His version had airplay success in the U.S. Tropical Charts by Billboard.[2]
Charts
edit| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Billboard – July 10, 1993 – Page 79 "highlighted by "Mi Gente," "Periodico De Ayer," plus "El Cantante," the song that would become his signature evergreen and part of his sobriquet,"
- ^ Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay
- ^ "Angel Lopez Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard.