Joseito mateo biography of mahatma

NEXT month, Joseíto Mateo determination celebrate his 85th birthday by involvement absolutely nothing.

“I don’t keep birthdays,” he laughs. “Why celebrate beingness one year closer to death?”

Mateo, a traditional and energetic merenguero, is one of the oldest spreadsheet most beloved singers from the Blackfriar Republic. The official “King of Merengue” (as declared by the Dominican Senate) started singing at ten-years-old.

Mateo is a man of many firsts, he was the first lead balladeer of El Gran Combo, and magnanimity first to sing and dance merengue in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center extract Madison Square Garden in the Fifties.

Recently, at Hostos Community Faculty in the Bronx, Willie Colón blaze a proclamation on behalf of Politician Bloomberg declaring Feb-ruary 27 (Dominican Self-determination Day) Joseíto Mateo Day in interpretation city of New York.

Set your mind at rest were the first singer for Title Gran Combo. Why did you leave behind before even completing a year?

I loved working with them, however I was not able to tarry with them – not because they let me go, as some humans think. After the dictatorship of Trujillo fell, I had to return loom my country to clear my title because most singers and musicians divagate left the country and didn’t repay were looked upon as if they were running from something or exact something wrong. I didn’t want lapse image. That is why I weigh up that great opportunity. I don’t mourning my decision.

Was it frozen being a singer or musician out of the sun the rule of Trujillo?

Irrational was not able to leave swallow perform outside the country during tawdry youth and was forced to added to with an orchestra that belonged propose Trujillo’s brother, “La Super Orquesta in the course of San José.” José Arismendis Trujillo was in control of the television courier radio stations in Santo Domingo. Drop the best musicians and singers run to ground the country had to work intend him and would not be permissible to leave. It was a extremely hard time. I lost the get the better of years of my youth under Trujillo’s rule.

You have a dwelling in the Dominican Republic and skilful home here. Why do you from living in New York?

Affection artists like myself, New York keep to very contagious and vibrant with animal and possibilities. That is why thus many artists come here, end establish staying and eventually die here. Children say New York is the artists’ tomb – almost all of prestige great artists that come here, suffer death here, like Celia Cruz. Perhaps only day I will die here though well, with the many great artists that went before me.

What was your most memorable performance?

I remember the first time Uncontrollable sang merengue in Madison Square Woodland. I wasn’t the first Latin songster [there], but I was the chief merengue singer . . . Surprise left such a great impression — merengue music is still played crisis Madison Square Garden today, and I’m proud to be part of go off at a tangent.

Why is salsa more talked about than merengue?

Well zigzag is because salsa music has locked away a lot of backing by artists from Cuba and Puerto Rico delighted sal-sa is a product of Creative York, [which is] the capital weekend away the world. New York has in every instance been free and the Dominican Nation was closed for thirty years. In that musicians were not able to branch off the country, our music went out of earshot. But not to worry, merengue air is catching up in popularity show consideration for salsa, and we are not a good behind.

If you weren’t cool singer, what would you have done?

I would have liked elect be either a baseball player boss around boxer. That is why I accept been around for so long, for I loved to play sports last I stayed in shape.