Elvis Crespo y Oscar D'León

Born in New York City, U.S., however raised in the city of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Elvis Crespo’s musical journey began as a member of the Willie Berrios Orchestra in 1988. The singer subsequently became a member of Toño Rosario for six years, after which he studied business administration at the Metropolitan University of Puerto Rico, before joining the popular merengue group Grupo Manía. The addition of Crespo to the group in 1994 led to Grupo Mania’s most successful period, with the release of the popular albums “Explotó el Bombazo” (1994) and “Dance Manía” (1995).

In 1998 Elvis Crespo, named after Elvis Presley, decided to pursue a solo career and released his debut album “Suavemente” the same year. Aided by its crossover appeal to English-speaking listener, the album performed remarkably well in both Latin America and the U.S., later winning the Best Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year from Billboard Magazine. A year later arrived

Crespo’s sophomore album “Píntame”, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, and won the Grammy Award for Best Merengue Album of the year. Aided by the singles “Pintame”, “Por el Caminito”, and “Tiemblo”, the album also won the Premio Lo Nuestro Award for “Tropical Album of the Year”.

An album of remixes appeared in 1999 suitably titled “The Remixes”, followed by his third full-length “Wow! Flash” in November 2001. Featuring a more mature singer-songwriter, moving away from a traditional merengue sound, Crespo’s fourth studio album “Urbano” was released in 2002. The singer’s 2004 album “Saboréalo” won the Latin-Grammy for Best Merengue Album in 2005, and paved the way for his sixth studio album “Regresó el Jefe” released in 2007. “Indestructible” followed in December 2010 featuring Voltio, which was succeeded by “Los Monsters” in 2012.

Oscar D'Leon is proof that in all forms of music, heart comes first. You can be as technically gifted and naturally talented as you want to be but if the drive to perform and entertain isn't in your guts and at the forefront of your mind, forget about it. D'Leon is very much that kind of artist, the kind who is so musical that when he was a kid, his constant tapping of rhythms on tables would get him into trouble at school. By his teenage years, he was driving a school bus and a taxi by day while teaching himself the double bass and playing as many local clubs as he could by night. He became something of a local sensation for his riotously entertaining club act, but wouldn't achieve mainstream success until 1972, and the formation of La Dimensión Latina.

Thanks to La Dimensión Latina's success, D'Leon spent the rest of the 1970's as one of the most famous salsa players around, forming many other bands after his time in his original group came to an end like La Salsa Mayor and La Critica. Ever since then, D'Leon has remained one of the most respected salsa artists of his time, with forty years worth of performing experience making his live shows second to none. He blazed a trail for musicians of his ilk, as one of the first salsa musicians to tour Japan and the first latino to sign a record deal with the BBC in the United Kingdom. To this very day there are precious few artists like him in any genre of music, and as he sails past his seventh decade of life without missing a step, Oscar D'Leon comes highly recommended.