{"id":5020,"date":"2021-09-25T08:36:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T07:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=5020"},"modified":"2021-09-25T08:48:02","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T07:48:02","slug":"no-ordinary-guy-an-interview-with-latin-soul-legend-joe-bataan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=5020","title":{"rendered":"No Ordinary Guy \u2013 An Interview with Latin soul legend Joe Bataan"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOE BATAAN\u00a0<\/span>was a self-proclaimed bad boy turned good. He emerged<\/span>\u00a0from the streets of <\/span>East Harlem<\/span> t<\/span>o become <\/span>a star<\/span> in the \u201960s\u00a0<\/span>for the fledgling <\/span>Fania<\/span> Records<\/span> label <\/span>and <\/span>onto <\/span>Salsoul<\/span> in the \u201970s<\/span>.<\/span> Shindig!<\/em>\u00a0met Joe <\/span>for a <\/span>characteristically <\/span>engaging look back over those <\/span>early day<\/span>s to <\/span>commemorate <\/span>the <\/span>release of a new <\/span>box set <\/span>compilation<\/span> called <\/span>I<\/span>t\u2019s<\/span> A <\/span>G<\/span>ood, <\/span>G<\/span>ood <\/span>F<\/span>eeling<\/span>: T<\/span>he<\/span> L<\/span>atin <\/span>S<\/span>oul <\/span>O<\/span>f<\/span> F<\/span>ania<\/span> R<\/span>ecords <\/span>(T<\/span>he<\/span> S<\/span>ingles<\/span>)<\/span><\/em> out now on Craft<\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a fantastic article in issue #120. <\/a>Pre -order now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Shindig!<\/em>: <\/strong>What was New Yo<\/span>r<\/span>k like for you growing up?<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Bataan<\/strong>: New York <\/span>was like a melting pot<\/span>. <\/span>B<\/span>ecause we didn’t have Internet and social media, most of everything was carried by word of mouth or whatever we got on the radio<\/span>. <\/span>G<\/span>rowing up at that time, we played and emulated what we heard from other<\/span>s.<\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span> m<\/span>y particular <\/span>era<\/span> there was R&B<\/span> a<\/span>nd then <\/span>a<\/span>lo<\/span>n<\/span>g came rock\u00a0<\/span>\u2019n\u2019\u00a0<\/span>roll in 19<\/span>57 with Alan Freed and then we went into the \u201960s. Then a strange thing happened.<\/span> Of course, the boogaloo originated in Chicago<\/span> but it caught on in New <\/span>York<\/span>.<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ricardo Ray<\/span>, Pete <\/span>Rodriguez, <\/span>Johnny Colon <\/span>all started out with this new <\/span>sound they called it b<\/span>oogaloo<\/span>.<\/span> I<\/span>t started with some lyrics in <\/span>English<\/span> and it caught on.<\/span> Started <\/span>to be a<\/span> dance craze in New York with the young Latinos from <\/span>El Barrio, <\/span>Spanish Harlem and it then just caught fire all through the state and spread through the<\/span> tri-state area<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

I got wind of it at that time, and I think my<\/span> i<\/span>nsertion into that type of music was just a little different. I grew up from a doo-wop perspective, so it was easy for me to sing in English not being of the Spanish heritage but having <\/span>learnt <\/span>to speak Spanish in the streets of New York, because most of my friends were Latino.<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n my trial and error of fiddling with the boogaloo, it<\/span> was <\/span>right down my alley<\/span>. <\/span>I was able to sing in English and then I found out the secret of doing the <\/span>c<\/span>ha <\/span>cha<\/span> and inserting these lyrics.\u00a0<\/span>It became <\/span>instant<\/span> gratification to a lot of young fans<\/span>. <\/span>I think the difference with <\/span>me<\/span> and the other artists is that most of my songs had <\/span>a story.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think because of my lyrics they have endured<\/span> for over 50 years and because I insert ba<\/span>llads a<\/span>lso with the boogaloo from that era, it enhanced my popularity until this <\/span>day<\/span> and I thank God I’m still able to perform.<\/span><\/p>\n

The boogaloo had a short life, <\/span>so I<\/span> changed my style of play from boogaloo to Latin soul.\u00a0<\/span>That <\/span>was like a brain<\/span>wave <\/span>of min<\/span>e<\/span> knowing that the word boogaloo sounded <\/span>too <\/span>bubblegum and it wouldn’t last throughout but Latin soul would last forever.<\/span> Because there’s always <\/span>Latin, ther<\/span>e\u2019<\/span>s always so<\/span>ul<\/span>. <\/span>I took that <\/span>mo<\/span>niker <\/span>and I’ve been known as the forefront of Latin soul for some time.<\/span><\/p>\n

SD!<\/strong><\/em>: What impact did <\/span>it<\/span> Boogaloo <\/span>have on a younger generation?<\/span><\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>M<\/span>ost of the era of Latin music was always done in Spanish<\/span> and <\/span>with the upcoming new generation of Spanish speaking kids<\/span>. M<\/span>ost<\/span>ly they <\/span>spoke English and they stopped listening to their parents<\/span>\u2019<\/span> music and they wanted something of their own.<\/span> T<\/span>he boogaloo came on just about the right time because they could associate the Latin beat with the English verse, because now they were more Americanised living in the United States and growing up in <\/span>El <\/span>Barrio<\/span> s<\/span>o this made it easy for that generation to embrace<\/span> this <\/span>music<\/span>. J<\/span>ust like the<\/span>y embraced <\/span>The Beatles or the <\/span>T<\/span>wist with Chubby Checker<\/span>.<\/span> T<\/span>hey embraced the <\/span>boogaloo<\/span> and the<\/span>y were <\/span>like wow, this belongs to me. All <\/span>L<\/span>atin<\/span>o<\/span>s.<\/span> Of course<\/span> there were blacks <\/span>also <\/span>involved in the boogaloo <\/span>s<\/span>o it became very popular<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

M<\/span>y intake into it was that<\/span> m<\/span>y mother is <\/span>African<\/span> American<\/span> a<\/span>nd my father is Filipino.<\/span> But that put me in the middle, having looked like Latino for all my life. The argument was that, well, Joe Bataan must be Latino.<\/span> They<\/span> said no, he’s not. He’s African American<\/span>. Th<\/span>e argument went on for years and of course, to me it didn’t matter.<\/span> I didn’t grow up that way. I grew up as a human being and of course that reflects in my music<\/span>. <\/span>I<\/span>t wasn’t until I was looking for my identity and recorded an album called <\/span>Afro Filipino\u00a0<\/span><\/em>that<\/span> p<\/span>eople started to wonder. Well, Gee, who is this guy?<\/span><\/p>\n

When I was inducted into the Smithsonian when it started in 2010, they made a remark that I was a bridge between several cultures.<\/span> I was a bridge to the Asian community. I was a bridge to the Latino <\/span>community<\/span> and I was a bridge to the <\/span>B<\/span>lack community.<\/span> So<\/span> that was really gratifying.<\/span> I never had the<\/span> sense of where I belonged until then, you know<\/span>,<\/span> that I really belong to the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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SD!<\/em>:<\/strong> When did you <\/span>first <\/span>catch <\/span>the <\/span>music<\/span> bug<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>A<\/span>s a youngster, we grew up listening to the radio.<\/span> M<\/span>ost of the radio at that time was Anglo music.<\/span> Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. So that was my first love because that’s what we were exposed to.<\/span> You know there wasn’t black radio back in the early \u201940<\/span>s or the \u201950<\/span>s and there was no Latino radio and if there was, it was always<\/span> a<\/span>t the end of the dial <\/span>where the <\/span>signal wasn’t strong enough to be heard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, when we finally got <\/span>WINS and Alan F<\/span>reed <\/span>after the \u201950<\/span>s<\/span>,<\/span> it was something new to us<\/span>. W<\/span>e had never heard that having grown up on Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Ray, and such pop Anglo music. This was new to us. It felt like it was something that<\/span> b<\/span>elong<\/span>ed<\/span> to the y<\/span>outh of America at that time, and on that we gradually incorporated the R&B with the rock and roll, and from that emerged the boogaloo.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>hat’s where I came in, because as I said, to a lot of people, I’m not the greatest singer in the world.<\/span> But I had to compete against guys like James Brown<\/span>, <\/span>Smokey Robinson. <\/span>W<\/span>hen the boogaloo came <\/span>along<\/span>, that was right down my alley because I could sing in English.<\/span> I had studied all the classics and doo-wop and some s<\/span>how <\/span>tunes<\/span> so it was easy for me to make<\/span> that <\/span>transition<\/span> and especially when I thought that it was a part of me<\/span>. Do<\/span>ing the cha <\/span>c<\/span>ha<\/span> and sing<\/span>ing in <\/span>English<\/span>, <\/span>many people weren’t doing at that time and <\/span>they called it the boogaloo. <\/span><\/p>\n

But I found out that<\/span> t<\/span>he beat was always around.<\/span> Smokey Robinson was doing the same beat with <\/span>M<\/span>ary Wells <\/span>songs, but people didn’t know what they called it. He didn’t call it the b<\/span>oogaloo <\/span>and it was a cha<\/span> cha<\/span> because <\/span>y<\/span>ou <\/span>c<\/span>an <\/span>d<\/span>ance <\/span>cha <\/span>cha<\/span> to some of Smok<\/span>ey\u2019s <\/span>music.<\/span> I don’t think <\/span>Smokey <\/span>even knew what he was doing. I know he knew what he was doing when he composes,\u00a0<\/span>as he <\/span>is one of the greatest composers ever. He was my idol.<\/span> But what I’m saying is<\/span>,<\/span> having studied <\/span>Smokey <\/span>and a lot of guys, and what he <\/span>and <\/span>Sam Cooke<\/span> did <\/span>with <\/span>ch<\/span>a<\/span>cha<\/span> beats, fit in <\/span>perfect for the boogaloo and me at <\/span>that<\/span> time<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span>hat I’m credited for is that a lot of people weren’t singing the boogaloo the way I was.<\/span> I use lyrics like <\/span>Smokey<\/span> and I told stories and my songs have lasted throughout the years. <\/span><\/p>\n

SD!<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0<\/strong>H<\/span>ow did you get started in music?<\/span><\/p>\n

JB: <\/strong>Nineteen-Sixty-Five<\/span>, after <\/span>having a run in with the law.<\/span> Joe Bataan was sent <\/span>away. I<\/span> did <\/span>a<\/span>n <\/span>indefinite period of five years in <\/span>a <\/span>reformatory where I was sent to straighten out my life<\/span>. <\/span>It was <\/span>then <\/span>I made up my mind<\/span>.<\/span> Whil<\/span>e <\/span>I<\/span> was away<\/span>,<\/span> I was <\/span>going to pretend <\/span>that I was in college and I was gonna read<\/span>\u00a0everything<\/span> I get my hands on<\/span>. <\/span>I had the opportunity to<\/span> study <\/span>music under the <\/span>tutelage of <\/span>Mark Francis at West Coxsackie Reformatory.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>hen I had made up my mind. <\/span>M<\/span>y aspirations <\/span>was<\/span> to be a baseball player. I emulated and wanted to be Jackie Robinson all over. <\/span>T<\/span>hat didn’t transpire, so my second option was to get into music<\/span>. <\/span>H<\/span>aving no training. No<\/span> b<\/span>ackground in music, except for what I did in the streets of New York<\/span>, <\/span>s<\/span>inging<\/span> doo-wop with my hand cupped over my ear for harmony. I developed <\/span>an <\/span>ear<\/span> for music<\/span>, a sound<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

S<\/span>ome people are born tone <\/span>deaf<\/span>,<\/span> they can’t hear something<\/span>. W<\/span>e didn’t have that problem we could orchestrate.<\/span> We could harmonise. We could write<\/span>,<\/span> mentally<\/span>,<\/span> with our minds and our voices at a<\/span>n<\/span> early age before we knew anything about music.<\/span> And that’s the way I learned<\/span>. <\/span>I came home.<\/span> I had several combinations of musicians that didn’t work out. Everybody quit on Joe Bataan. They couldn’t stand <\/span>m<\/span>y aggressive<\/span> tact<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

SD!<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0<\/strong>How did you meet your first band?<\/span><\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>T<\/span>he first time I met these kids I was about 19 or 20 and they were the youngest <\/span>band in<\/span> Latin music <\/span>’cause<\/span> they were like <\/span>12<\/span>\/<\/span>13 year old<\/span> kids and they were rehearsing in The William Edinger Auditorium and I walked in<\/span> a<\/span>nd I was appalled. <\/span>Ha<\/span>ving been the neighbourhood tough<\/span>\u00a0gu<\/span>y.<\/span> I<\/span> said<\/span>,<\/span> what are you doing here<\/span>? T<\/span>hey didn’t say anything wrong because they knew my reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

N<\/span>evertheless, when I looked around, I got a brainstorm. I said<\/span>, \u201dT<\/span>hese kids are practising here and<\/span>\u00a0they don’t have a piano player.\u201d\u00a0<\/span> So<\/span> I initially took out a knife out of my pocket and I stuck it into the grand piano.<\/span> I said<\/span>,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>I’m the leader of this band.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, that’s how we did things <\/span>back then<\/span>, I didn’t <\/span>have any intention of <\/span>hurting nobody, but just to have drama. <\/span><\/p>\n

N<\/span>obody said anything and I<\/span> said<\/span>,<\/span> \u201cI<\/span>f you follow me and I become the leader of this group, I will take you to height<\/span>s<\/span> that you’ve never attained in your life.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>hey didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. Neither did I. <\/span>B<\/span>ut nevertheless, by trial and error<\/span>,<\/span> they accepted me as the ba<\/span>n<\/span>d leader. I was a strict <\/span>militarian<\/span> w<\/span>hen it came to the music. Having had no background, I knew that I had to install discipline and we did this <\/span>f<\/span>or six months.<\/span><\/p>\n

My only problem was that they were <\/span>underage,<\/span> and their parents didn’t want them<\/span> w<\/span>ith Joe Bataan, not the neighbourhood <\/span>tough<\/span> guy, so I had to walk them home every night after rehearsal and convince their parents that I was a changed person and that I was no longer the old B<\/span>ataan<\/span>. But now all I wanted to do<\/span> is play <\/span>music<\/span>.<\/span> M<\/span>y aspirations and my goal <\/span>was<\/span> that it was going to take me 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cinderella story of the whole shebang is that it took us six months<\/span>!<\/span> I<\/span>n six <\/span>months<\/span> we were recording and had our first hit record as the youngest band in Latin music<\/span>. J<\/span>oe Bataan & T<\/span>he <\/span>Latin Swingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

SD!<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0<\/strong>H<\/span>ow long did the band stay together?<\/span><\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, <\/span>they <\/span>stayed with me for about three years. <\/span>W<\/span>e were voted the band of the year. I mean, this <\/span>was <\/span>amazing<\/span> w<\/span>hen you think of all the greats that were playing at that time. Tito <\/span>Puente<\/span>, <\/span>Machito<\/span>. <\/span>A<\/span>ll these <\/span>big-time<\/span> names and yet we were voted the band of the year in 196<\/span>8.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>o get an award like that it had some significance, because these kids<\/span> a<\/span>t that time were no older than 15 or 16 years of age. I was the oldest and to get that awar<\/span>d<\/span>,<\/span> we were top shelf. I believe at that year<\/span> w<\/span>e recorded the <\/span>Riot<\/span> album and we outsold everybody in New York <\/span>four to one<\/span>. <\/span>I was given a gold record for that.<\/span><\/p>\n