Joe Bataan

Dubbed the "King of Latin Soul", Joe Bataan achieved a synthesis of Latin rhythms, soul, Afro-Cuban jazz and funk. Born Bataan Nitollano to an Afro-American mother and a Filipino father in Spanish Harlem (New York City) on November 15, 1942, he left the gang life of the neighborhood to form the group Joe Bataan & the Latin Swingers in 1966, influenced by soul and boogaloo, a style of Latin R&B created by the Puerto Rican community. Signed to Fania Records in 1966, the self-taught pianist produced a series of albums under his own name, including Subway Joe (1967), Gypsy Woman (1967, with a successful cover of The Impressions' title track of the same name) and Riot! (1968), which went gold. Tempted by the sweetest soul on Sweet Soul (1970) and Singin' Some Soul (1972), Joe Bataan fused Caribbean rhythms with urban sounds on Mr. New York and the East Side Kids (1971), Saint Latin's Day Massacre (1972) and the funk-oriented Salsoul (1973), before creating the Ghetto Records label and signing with Salsoul Records. He covered Gil Scott-Heron's "The Bottle " on Afrofilipino (1975) and enjoyed disco-rap success with the hit "Rap-O Clap-O" (1979), ranked No. 2 in the Netherlands, where he was a guest on television. After retiring from the music scene with the album Bataan II (1981), the musician worked as an educator in his childhood neighborhood, then returned in 2005 at the request of producer Daniel Collàs for Call My Name, released on the Spanish label Vampi Soul, while the compilation The Lost Session - New York 1976, released in 2010, exhumed previously unreleased tracks. Honored in 2014 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Filipino American National Historical Society, Joe Bataan continues to perform around the world and record with his bands Setenta and The Barrio Boys.