Henry Fiol (born January 16, 1947)[1] is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader and painter.[2][3] He is known for his traditional approach to son cubano and other Cuban music styles, and he is considered a "cult favorite" among Latin music fans.[3]
Henry Fiol | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 16, 1947 Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Genres | Son cubano, guajira |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, producer, painter |
| Instrument | Voice |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Mericana, SAR, Salsoul, Corazón, El Abuelo, Earthworks, Palacio Rodven, Kubaney, Fonocaribe |
Fiol was born in Manhattan, New York, United States,[1] to an Italian-American mother and a Puerto Rican father.[2] He studied fine arts at Hunter College and became a teacher before starting his career as a musician in the 1969.[3] In 1974, he co-founded, along with William Millán, a Cuban-style conjunto called Saoco, recording two albums with the group, Siempre seré guajiro for Mericana Records and Macho Mumba for Salsoul Records.[1] He was the bandleader, singer, songwriter and cover artist for both albums, before leaving the band because of creative differences with Millán.[1] William Millán was the sole leader of Saoco on its next two and final albums.[2] In 1980, Henry Fiol made his solo debut on SAR Records.[2] He recorded two more albums for the label before forming his own record company, Corazón, along with a new band of the same name.[2] He continued to release albums over the following decades. His latest album, Ciudadano del mundo, was released in 2012.[4]
His son, Orlando Fiol, is a pianist and conga drummer.[5]
Discography
editWith Saoco
- 1976: Siempre seré guajiro (Mericana)
- 1977: Macho mumba (Salsoul)
Solo albums
- 1980: Fe, esperanza y caridad' (SAR)
- 1981: El secreto (SAR)
- 1983: La ley de la jungla (SAR)
- 1983: Corazón (Corazón)
- 1985: Colorao y negro (Corazón)
- 1986: Juega billar (Corazón)
- 1989: Renacimiento (El Abuelo)
- 1990: Sonero (Earthworks)
- 1991: Creativo (Palacio Rodven)
- 1994: El don del son (Codiscos/Kubaney)
- 2002: Guapería (Fonocaribe)
- 2008: De cachete (Corazón)
- 2011: Salsa subterránea (Corazón)
- 2012: Ciudadano del mundo (Corazón)
References
edit- ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 861/2. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ a b c d e Clarke, Donald (1990). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 415. ISBN 9780140511475.
- ^ a b c Alava, Silvio H. (2007). Spanish Harlem's Musical Legacy: 1930-1980. Arcadia Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9781439634714.
- ^ Pareja, Leo. ""Ciudadano del mundo", nuevo trabajo de Henry Fiol". Vivalaradio.co.uk (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Cruz, Tomás (2015). Tomás Cruz Conga Method Volume 1 - Beginning. Mel Bay Publications. p. 13. ISBN 9781619114975.