Gig Events Guide UK

In 1967 the Lebron Brothers recorded their first single with influences of The Boogaloo rhythms. This was followed by Salsa y Control in 1970 which is considered a classic in Salsa music.

Q:    How do you consider that you were influenced by The Puerto Rican, African Caribbean rhythms and the American Blues, Jazz and Soul?

A:    In those days we didn’t listen much to Latin Music, only a song from Joe Cuba “Bung Bang”, which was a mix of black and Latin rhythm. This is what opened our minds to music and we started listening to music from Rickie Ray. Then we started our own band with some school friends. We started playing and writing boogaloo with lyrics in English which was easy.

When we started playing Salsa it wasn’t something that we really knew about. So we created our own style that nobody else had. Everyone identified it as a mixture of black and Latin rhythms.

Q:    It is believed that from Salsa and Control is where the term “Salsa” came to describe the rhythm now known as Salsa. What do you think about this?

A:    We believe that this is true. Latin Music at that time was known as Mambo, Guanguaco, and Chacha. It was from this song that people started talking about Salsa. This song was No. 1 in Puerto Rico for 1 and a half years and wen worldwide. It initiated the “Salsa” movement and shaped the concept for the world. Sometimes we are accredited for this and sometimes we are not.

Q:    How would you rate the Lebron participation with La Fanica during the Salsa boom? Is it true that the band was discriminated in relation to other bands and musicians?

A:    Fanica was directed by Jery Musuchin. He said that we were his favourite band and that was why he had bought The Cotique label. However, we never got any promotion but despite  this,  we had hit after hit. And such was the demand by fans, our songs ended up being played on radio.

We were very angry with Fania and the way they behaved with us. They promoted everyone else like Willie Colon, Papo Luca Rublen Blades but never us.  As a band we have enjoy ed more success and plays since then but it has been down to us and our fans.

Q:    What does the emblematic figure of Pablo Lebron means to you?

A:    Pablo was our lead singer and he could sing anything. We opened the doors in Puerto Rico with a Bolero called “Tus Rewerdos”. It was then that we started to be recognised as Latin singers.

Our style. We don´t copy anyone. Every song that we play has different sounds to all the others but they can all be identified as Lebron. The chorus is unique. It is identified all over the world no matter who is the lead vocalist.

Q:    In many countries the record “Asunto y Famimila” is a valued piece of music. What is the secret to keeping a band together for so long? And what do you think are the elements that keep you together?

A:    First of all, we are family and our parents brought us up really close. My mum used to say “you are brothers and even though you are angry it will pass”. For some of us, we have been playing for 83 years and we think that it will be like that until we die.

Q:    Have there been new additions to the Lebron Brothers?

A:    Our lead vocalist is Virgilio Hurthdo who is Colombian and joined the band 4 around years ago. His style is very similar to Pablo. We have had other vocalists but have not fitted well with us but Virgilio has and we are very proud of him.

Q:    Many of the Salsa stars are now exploring the Reggeaton music. What do you think of this rhythm so popular amongst the younger generation?

A:    It is something new but not to my taste. It is not going to ever be Classic. A song will be famous of a month or two but will never go down in history like the music from times past.

Q:    Why do you think that a song such as “Que Pena” has become so famous? And what do The Lebron Brothers want to express when they write or perform?

A:    We don´t record songs that don’t have a meaning. We write abut things that are real that happen to us like “10 Lagrimas”

When we get on stage we give all from us. Every performance is different. We let the public lead us. They tell us what they want to hear. However they are never satisfied because they want more and we have so many hits we can´t fit them all in one show.

Q  The Lebron Brothers have Puerto Ruecan, Latin American roots.  What does it mean to you to be headlining Carnaval del Pueblo – the largest Latin American festival in Europe?

For us its an incredible honour to be headlining the Carnaval Del Pueblo, and to be back in the UK after a really long time.  With such a strong latin community based in London now. our fan base has kept growing and it’s also very good to see that our music continues to travel around the world, making new fans for salsa music.

Q Do you have anything special lined up for the show?

Our shows are always special as there’s a fair amount of improvisation which comes from playing together as a band for a really long time and really understanding each other and pushing ourselves as musicians. The live show is where the fireworks really explode.