American salsa musician and activist Willie Colón, who recorded some of the most seminal and influential salsa albums in Latin music, forged a history on Billboard’s charts spanning more than 40 years and counting.
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As previously reported, Colón died Feb. 21 at age 75. His family announced the news over his social media accounts, stating that the celebrated trombonist, arranger, bandleader and producer had “passed away peacefully.”
Colón, a key figure in the evolution of Nuyorican salsa (via New York artists with Puerto Rican ties), was instrumental in bringing the genre from New York’s barrios to worldwide acclaim. At just 16 years old, he began his musical career with the release of El Malo, his 1967 debut album, recorded alongside the legendary Héctor Lavoe.
Throughout the ‘70s, Colón became a cornerstone of the salsa revolution. With Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco and Bobby Valentín, he recorded the live album Fania All Stars at the Cheetah in 1973, a concert by Fania Records labelmates that helped propel salsa into international prominence, following in the footsteps of trailblazing genre greats Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz.
As Billboard’s menu of surveys expanded to dedicated weekly Latin lists in the ‘80s, Colón made his chart debut with the eight-track Criollo. A mix of salsa, Latin jazz and Latin soul, the set, released on RCA Records in 1984, debuted on the Top Tropical Albums chart in September 1985 and climbed to its No. 18 high the following month.
Colón found even greater results with Especial No. 5, which hit No. 13 on Top Tropical Albums in October 1986. The set yielded his first appearance on Hot Latin Songs, as “Lo Que Es De Juan” reached No. 33 upon the chart’s start that month. He entered the top 10 on Top Tropical Albums for the first time through Top Secrets (No. 3, June 1989).
Among his 20 charted titles on Top Tropical Albums during his lifetime, Colón secured seven top 10s, ranked below by peak position, with new entries in the upper tier stretching from 1989 to 2021:
Peak, Title, Artist, Year
No. 3, Celia y Willie, with Celia Cruz, 2021
No. 3, Cosa Nuestra, with Héctor Lavoe, 2020
No. 3, Tras La Tormenta, with Ruben Blades, 1995
No. 3, Top Secrets, 1989
No. 7, Wanted by the FBI for the Big Break-La Gran Fuga, 2018
No. 10, Asalto Navideño, with Héctor Lavoe 2020
No. 10, Selecciones Fania, with Héctor Lavoe, 2012
On a song level, “El Gran Varón” marked Colón’s other visit to Hot Latin Songs, reaching No. 13 in 1989.
Colón landed his first of two top 10s on the Tropical Airplay chart with “Tras La Tormenta,” which hit No. 5 in March 1995. The album’s title track also played a pivotal role in earning Colón his only top 10 on the Top Latin Albums chart, among four career entries, reaching No. 9.
On the most recently published Top Tropical Albums tally (dated Feb. 21), Colón’s Greatest Hits hit a new No. 11 high. Charts dated Feb. 28 will reflect activity Feb. 13-19, while the following week’s rankings, dated March 7 (and set to update on Billboard.com March 3), will measure totals in the days following his passing (Feb. 20-26).
