Tom and Jerrio: Boo-Ga-Loo From 7" (ABC-Paramount, 1965)
Available on The Boo-Ga-Loo Years
In the beginning, before the bugalú, there was the boogaloo, or more precisely, "Boo-Ga-Loo," a smash hit R&B single by Detroit's Tom and Jerrio (aka Jerry-O). The exact origin of the term "boogaloo" is hard to pin down; the term originally comes out of an African American context but according to Tom and Jerrio, they named their single after a dance created in East Harlem, suggesting the dance has more Latin roots. Regardless, the success of "Boo-Ga-Loo" (later re-released as "Papa Chew Do the Boogaloo") lead to a brief but furious trend in R&B with other artists capitalizing on the boogaloo name, including James Brown with his 1966 album, Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo).
Lou Donaldson: Alligator Bogaloo (snippet) From Alligator Bogaloo (Blue Note, 1968)
Within African American music circles, the boogaloo shifted from R&B to jazz where the term became synonymous with a groovy, funky style of playing, most associated with the soul-jazz sound of late ‘60s, early ‘70s players at Blue Note, Prestige and other labels. Apart from Ivan “Boogaloo Joe” Jones, Lou Donaldson’s Alligator Bogaloo album remains one of the most obvious examples of jazz’s boogaloo era, not just in name but also style.
Ray Barretto: El Watusi From Charanga Moderna (Tico, 1963)
Also available on Latin Soul Man
The R&B boogaloo gave Latin bugalú its name (see below) but it was the broader style of Latin soul that predicted its sound. A blend of R&B rhythms given an Afro-Cuban makeover, Latin soul was already well-established in the early 1960s, especially thanks to Ray Barretto's massive hit, "El Watusi." The 1963 song was a charanga-style take on the watusi dance fad in the R&B world though once "El Watusi" climbed the charts, much like boogaloo/bugalú, the "watusi" is better associated with its Latin progeny than its R&B progenitor. Even though "El Watusi" isn't technically considered a bugalú, listen to its simple but effective opening riff and compare it with later bugalús and the influence is clear.
Ricardo Ray: Lookie Lookie From Se Soltó (Alegre, 1966)
Also available on Boogaloos Del Siempre
Examples like Barretto's "El Watusi" or the Joe Cuba Sextet's 1965 "El Pito" show a clear evolution toward the sound of the bugalú but it was Ricardo "Richie" Ray who purportedly invented the Latin boogloo name on this 1966 album which claims to introduce "the bugaloo." Ray describes the bugaloo as a "Funky Cha Cha," clearly nodding to the style's Black/R&B roots but giving it his own Latin twist on it. "Lookie Lookie" isn't the most scintillating bugalú ever recorded but you can already hear a template being developed: a montuno piano riff that anchors the rhythm section, a catchy, simple hook on the chorus, and English lyrics to broaden the appeal to cross-cultural audiences. With a song both familiar yet different from both the Latin and R&B worlds, the bugalú era was now underway.
The Joe Cuba Sextet: Bang Bang From Wanted Dead or Alive (Tico, 1966)
Also available on Boogaloos Del Siempre
Though "Lookie Lookie" never became a major hit, it did find some important fans: the Joe Cuba Sextet. The group had already been dabbling in Latin soul and they took to this new bugalú style with aplomb, reworking the piano riff from "Lookie Lookie" into the basis for the explosive "Bang Bang." Here was bugalú's breakout hit, a million-selling single and a massive reason why the genre took off in New York and beyond. It remains one of the best bugalú's ever recorded -- incredibly infectious and energetic, with a hook that never fails to rouse the crowd.
Pete Rodriguez: Oh, That's Nice! From Oh, That's Nice!/Ay, Que Bueno! (Alegre, 1967)
Also available on El Rey Del Boogaloo
Some Latin artists, like Joe Cuba and Ray Barretto, had careers that spanned both sides of the bugalú era. Others, like Pete Rodriguez, really only thrived during those brief years but few artists shone as bright. Rodriguez knocked out some of the biggest bugalú classics out there, especially the title tracks to this two biggest albums, "I Like It Like That" and "Oh, That's Nice!," not to mention a surprisingly good Christmas bugalú album, Boogaloo Navideño
Joe Bataan: Subway Joe From Subway Joe (Fania, 1967)
Also available on El Rey Del Boogaloo
Half-African American, half-Filipino, raised Nuyorican, Joe Bataan is one of the most intriguing figures to emerge from the bugalú era, especially in being one of the few figures born directly out of bugalú fame but able to survive into salsa and beyond. At heart, Bataan was one of the purest Latin soul singers of the time, alongside Ralfi Pagan and Harvey Averne, and it's easy to see how much doo woppers like Frankie Lymon had an influence on Bataan's own vocal stylings.
At the same time, he and his teenage band of East Harlemites had one of the hottest Latin bands around. They put their talent to good use on their early Latin dance songs like "Gypsy Woman," (a cover of the Impressions tune) and "Subway Joe," the funky bugalú taken from Bataan's same-named second album. Bataan would go on to record over half a dozen sides of Latin soul for Fania before leaving to help found Salsoul Records in the early 1970s.
Willie Colon: Skinny Papa From El Malo (Fania, 1967)
Willie Colon, along with his troubadour partner Hector Lavoe, would become some of salsa's greatest stars in the 1970s but like Bataan, Colon got his start in the bugalú era too as just a teenager. Salsa fanatics don't always hold Colon's debut, El Malo in such high-regard given how some view bugalús like "Skinny Papa" and "Willie Baby" as embarrassments but it's hard to justify such myopia. Even as a teen, Colon's sense of rhythm and arrangements was incredibly sophisticated and his bugalús rank as some of the richest.
El Gran Combo: Chua Chua Boogaloo From From Boogaloos con El Gran Combo (Gema, 1967)
Within the larger Latin music world, bugalú stands out as a uniquely American contribution. Most of the major dance styles to come through New York were imported from Cuba, Puerto Rico and elsewhere throughout the Latin Caribbean and Americas. However, bugalú's influence exported itself throughout that larger Latin music circuit - a Nuyorican seed that took plant throughout the Americas, especially "back home" in Puerto Rico. El Gran Combo was already one of the hottest bands from the island and they quickly became one of the most prolific Puerto Rican bands to bang out bugalús. "Chua Chua Boogaloo" was the group's best known track, a slick number whose popularity was picked up by other groups that cooked up their own covers of it.
Willie Rosario: Watusi Boogaloo From Boogaloo and Guaguanco (Atco, 1968)
Also available on Latin Dance Party Vol. 2: 1960's Boogaloo Towards the end of the bugalú era, it wasn't just Latin labels trying to cash in. Even Atco, the subsidiary of Atlantic Records, managed to jump in, signing Willie Rosario, and releasing a surprisingly excellent bugalú album. "Watusi Boogaloo," is a pristine example of how infectious and soulful the genre could get and though it may appear in the waning days of bugalú's popularity, it's as good as anything that came before it.
Eddie Palmieri: Aye Que Rico From Champagne (Tico, 1968) For the older generation of Latin music artists who had ruled the NY scene during the mambo and pachanga eras, bugalú was both a threat and a corruption. Because the rhythms were simplified and designed for a wider, cross-cultural audience, some Latin elders treated bugalú with disdain. To quote Palmieri himself: "It was Latin bubblegum."
It's widely believed that powerful figures like the Palmieri brothers, Tito Puente and others colluded with the likes of Latin record labels, radio DJs and venue promoters to blacklist bugalú bands, allowing older players to finally regain power. Yet, for all the hostility that elders directed towards bugalú, that didn't stop them from recording their own -- these players still recognized the power of the market. Thus, even Palmieri himself knocked out a few bugalús, his best known being "Aye Que Rico." Unexpectedly, for an artist who seemed to have been dragged into recording bugalús against their will, Palmieri's contribution is masterful, drawing on his extensive jazz background, to create a more textured and nuanced bugalú.
Dave Cortez and the Moon People:
Happy Soul (With a Hook) From 7" (Speed, 1968)
Also available on El Barrio - The Bad Boogaloo - Nuyorican Sounds 1966 to 1970 Some would consider "Happy Soul With a Hook" to be a bugalú, others would slot it in the more general category of "Latin soul." Either way, this song off the Speed label has become one of the most popular tunes to have been resurrected from the Latin scene of the late '60s. If it sounds familiar, think Christina Aguilera and you'll make the connection. Even if it's your first time hearing it, you can hear how the funky breakdowns and massive horn section make this uptempo track a winner in any era.
Ray Barretto: Together From Together (Fania, 1969) Barretto was both one of bugalú's forefathers as well one of the few elders who seemingly embraced the trend rather than view it with suspicion. His Fania albums during this time — Acid, Hard Hands, Together, Latino Con Soul — are all amazing examples of how bugalú/Latin soul sounded in the hands of a master. "Together," emerged in what most think of as a post-bugalú moment but there's no question where the song's energy — and cross-cultural idealism — gets its influence.
