Ralfi Pagan
Encyclopedia
Ralfi Pagán was a Bronx, New York-based Latin soul
and salsa
singer of Puerto Rican parentage who was active from the late-1960s until his untimely death in 1978. He specialized in soul ballads sung both in Spanish and English and released five albums during the 1970s. He is well known for the duet with Sylvia Robinson
entitled Soul Je T'aime and for his solo reworking of Make It With You previously recorded by David Gates
and Bread
. In 1978, he was mysteriously murdered while on a promotional tour in Colombia
, South America
, a tragedy which remains unsolved to this day.
. Issued twice first with all Spanish sung titles and shortly after with four English sing titles substituted for four Spanish titles Pagán's falsetto tenor favoured ballads. This made him highly popular amongst young Hispanic Americans particularly in the urban centers of Los Angeles and New York where Pagán made a significant cultural impact. His forte was ballads such as Who Is The Girl For Me, Don't Stop Now (originally recorded by Eddie Holman
), and I Can't See Me Without You. He was also adept on uptempo salsa such as his cover of Oscar Brown
's Brother, Where Are You?.
In 1971 he broke through nationally with a Latin cover of Make It With You
which entered the Billboard R&B chart on the 10 July 1971 for an eleven week run during which it peaked at #32. It sold 250 000 copies nationally and Pagán appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show Soul Train
A second album With Love produced by Harvey Averne and Jerry Masucci and recorded in New York consolidated Pagán's status amongst urban Hispanics and chicanos. A further R&B hit in 1973 with Soul Je T'Aime, a duet with Sylvia Robinson on Vibration records was his last appearance on the national charts. The Ralfi album containing Latin soul and salsa-influenced tracks was released the same year.
In 1975 he released his fourth and final Fania album I Can See which included his distinctive take on Smokey Robinson
& the Miracles
track Ooo Baby Baby and the bitter sweet Stay Out of My Life. His voice, though lighter and less powerful, has often been compared to that of Smokey Robinson.
.
Pagán maintained a parallel career as a salsa singer and after a disco release Girl From The Mountain on Coco records in 1976, he released his fifth album El Flaco De Oro, (sung entirely in Spanish) which represented him as a salsa singer. This release appeared on Pumpkris Records, for whom he also handled production duties on an album by Johnny Nelson entitled Ralfi Pagan Presenta Johnny Nelson - El Principe de La Salsa. Pagán's final known release is the disco sounding Take Me With You b/w Heaven Sent You also on Pumpkris. An album Take Me With You was scheduled, but Pagán's early death curtailed its release.
while on tour in Colombia in 1978, Pagán was murdered.. His family was told that a promoter arranged for his murder to avoid payment of money due with his body being left on a local beach.
Most of Pagán's back catalog has been made available since the mid-1990s, and he is now probably better known to the general music-listening public than he was during his lifetime. A Fania track from 1972, The Gambler, was featured in the Leon Ichaso
film Pinero (2001) starring Benjamin Bratt
as the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Pinero
.
Latin soul
Latin soul was a short lived musical genre movement which developed in the 60's in New York City. It consisted of a blend of Cuban mambo with elements of Latin Jazz and Soul music. Although short-lived, the genre had a great influence on the growing Salsa movement which would dominate the New York...
and salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singer of Puerto Rican parentage who was active from the late-1960s until his untimely death in 1978. He specialized in soul ballads sung both in Spanish and English and released five albums during the 1970s. He is well known for the duet with Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, musician, record producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre...
entitled Soul Je T'aime and for his solo reworking of Make It With You previously recorded by David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
and Bread
Bread (band)
Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a prime example of what later was labeled soft rock....
. In 1978, he was mysteriously murdered while on a promotional tour in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, a tragedy which remains unsolved to this day.
Early career
Ralfi Pagán (born Rafael Pagán) first came to prominence in 1969 with the release of the self-titled album Ralfi Pagan on Fania RecordsFania Records
Fania Records was a New York based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from an old Cuban song by the singer Reinaldo Bolaño. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become...
. Issued twice first with all Spanish sung titles and shortly after with four English sing titles substituted for four Spanish titles Pagán's falsetto tenor favoured ballads. This made him highly popular amongst young Hispanic Americans particularly in the urban centers of Los Angeles and New York where Pagán made a significant cultural impact. His forte was ballads such as Who Is The Girl For Me, Don't Stop Now (originally recorded by Eddie Holman
Eddie Holman
Eddie Holman is an American singer and recording artist. He is best known for his 1970 hit song "Hey There Lonely Girl".-Biography:...
), and I Can't See Me Without You. He was also adept on uptempo salsa such as his cover of Oscar Brown
Oscar Brown
Oscar Brown, Jr was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor.He ran for office in the Illinois state legislature and U.S...
's Brother, Where Are You?.
In 1971 he broke through nationally with a Latin cover of Make It With You
Make It with You
"Make It with You" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by the pop/rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member.The song first appeared on Bread's 1970 album On the Waters...
which entered the Billboard R&B chart on the 10 July 1971 for an eleven week run during which it peaked at #32. It sold 250 000 copies nationally and Pagán appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
A second album With Love produced by Harvey Averne and Jerry Masucci and recorded in New York consolidated Pagán's status amongst urban Hispanics and chicanos. A further R&B hit in 1973 with Soul Je T'Aime, a duet with Sylvia Robinson on Vibration records was his last appearance on the national charts. The Ralfi album containing Latin soul and salsa-influenced tracks was released the same year.
In 1975 he released his fourth and final Fania album I Can See which included his distinctive take on Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
& the Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
track Ooo Baby Baby and the bitter sweet Stay Out of My Life. His voice, though lighter and less powerful, has often been compared to that of Smokey Robinson.
Chicano Favorite
By 1976 Pagán was based in Los Angeles where he found especially favour amongst Chicanos for whom his persona as a sensitive Latin lover resonated. He became a regular on the thriving club and salsa dance circuit that included The Gold Dust on Garfield Avenue in Montebello, The King's Table in Pico Rivera, The Monterey West in East Los Angeles and the Mardi Gras across from MacArthur ParkMacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
.
Pagán maintained a parallel career as a salsa singer and after a disco release Girl From The Mountain on Coco records in 1976, he released his fifth album El Flaco De Oro, (sung entirely in Spanish) which represented him as a salsa singer. This release appeared on Pumpkris Records, for whom he also handled production duties on an album by Johnny Nelson entitled Ralfi Pagan Presenta Johnny Nelson - El Principe de La Salsa. Pagán's final known release is the disco sounding Take Me With You b/w Heaven Sent You also on Pumpkris. An album Take Me With You was scheduled, but Pagán's early death curtailed its release.
Death in Colombia
Pagán had a large following in Latin America and regularly appeared in South America. Substituting for fellow Fania Records performer Joe BataanJoe Bataan
Joe Bataan is a Filipino-African American Latin R&B musician from New York.- Early life and career :...
while on tour in Colombia in 1978, Pagán was murdered.. His family was told that a promoter arranged for his murder to avoid payment of money due with his body being left on a local beach.
Most of Pagán's back catalog has been made available since the mid-1990s, and he is now probably better known to the general music-listening public than he was during his lifetime. A Fania track from 1972, The Gambler, was featured in the Leon Ichaso
Leon Ichaso
-Early life and education:Leon Ichaso was born in Havana August 3, 1948, into a family of well-known writers, journalists and artists. His father, Justo Rodríguez Santos, was one of Cuba's most respected poets and a pioneer in broadcast TV and radio -and his mother Antonia Ichaso had a radio...
film Pinero (2001) starring Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero.-Early life:Bratt was born in San Francisco, California,...
as the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Pinero
Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...
.
Albums
- 1971: Ralfi Pagan - Fania 377
- 1972: With Love / Con Amor - Fania 397
- 1973: Ralfi - Fania 0417
- 1975: I Can See - Fania 0598
- 1978: Take Me With You - Pumkris 1001 (unreleased)
- 1978: El Flaco De Oro - Pumkris 1002
Singles (non-comprehensive)
- 1969: Who Is the Girl For Me - Fania 504
- 1970: Don't Stop Now - Fania 521
- 1971: Make It With You - Fania 567 + Wand 11236
- 1971: Mi Camacho / Negrona - Fania 568
- 1971: Baby I'm A Want You / Look At Her - Fania 591
- 1971: I Can't See Me Without You Fania 599
- 1972: Up On The Roof / The Gambler - Fania 622
- 1973: Soul Je T'Aime (with Sylvia) - Vibration 525
- 1973: Who is The Girl For Me / To Say I Love You - Jack-Pot 003
- 1974: Wonderful Thing - Fania 678
- 1975: Just for A Little While - Fania 740
- 1975: La Vida - Fania 752
- 1976: Girl From the Mountain - Coco CF5056
- 1978: Take Me with You / Heaven Sent You - Pumpkris 001