Whether it was salsa or boleros, his time with Joe Cuba, the Fania All Stars or his later collaborations, one thing that never changed was his sentimiento. And he wasn’t just a romantic bolerista, his skill at interpreting in soneo, as an improvising sonero was remarkable. No matter what he sang, he interpreted it with feeling and sincerity. Thank you for tuning in to the first part in a three part podcast series about Cheo Feliciano.

. Young Cheo did not dream of being a singer, his first dream was to play guitar, however the Escuela de Musica Juan Morel Campos, a free music school was underfunded and had only 2 guitars and 40 students. Feliciano, then chose trombone, however there was only 1 trombone and 40 students, leading him to study music for 2 years before Cheo and his family were forced to move to the US due to the increasingly difficult economic situation on the island. Now in New York, Cheo turned to percussion, playing whenever and wherever he could. Soon after he would meet Machito who introduced him to Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, the latter who would give him an opportunity to sing live in front of an audience at the Palladium ballroom. Soon after, Feliciano would be hired by Joe Cuba and sing with his sextet for 9 years. Sadly, Cheo struggled with addiction at this time.

Hear about all this and more In today's episode.

Songs:

A Las Seis

Yo Vine Pa Ver

Te Adoro

Macorina

Callejero

Lo Bueno Ya Viene

Mujer

Como Rien

Aunque Tu

Quieres Volver

Cachondea

Bailadores

Guaracha y Bembe

Ay, Milagro

Oriente

Quinto Sabroso

Busca lo Tuyo (with Eddie Palmieri)