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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSANTIAGO, Eddie(b c'61, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) Salsa singer; figurehead of the salsa romántica movement. He began with various bands, including Generación 2000, Orquesta La Potente, Orquesta Opus and Orquesta Saragüey, joining Willie González '84 as co-lead singer of Conjunto Chaney, led by bongo player Nicolas Vivas. The band's eponymous album '84 included hits 'Desesperado' and 'Que Maravilla Fue Sentirte' by Santiago. He and González went solo; Santiago signed with TH (later TH-Rodven) and issued the famed (or notorious) Atrevido y Diferente '86, which consolidated the fashion begun by Louie Ramírez's popular Noche Caliente '82 of giving romantic Latin ballads up-tempo salsa arrangements, a style that acquired the tags salsa romántica, salsa sensual, salsa erótica and sexy salsa. The success of the album helped resuscitate salsa, which in the first half of the '80s had been swamped by the merengue boom; but unlike the robust, progressive and swinging dance music generated by the likes of Willie Rosario, Andy Montañez, Bobby Valentín,Tommy Olivencia, Sonora Ponceña, Mulenze, Oscar D'Léon, Libre, Angel Canales, etc, Santiago's nutrasweet version of the genre, cleverly albeit cynically produced by Julio César Delgado, was salsa monga, a term coined by Rosario to mean flaccid, soft, limp salsa. Atrevido y Diferente unleashed a deluge of imitation (by both new and established artists, survival instinct in the latter case) and uniformity of sound that engulfed the salsa markets of Puerto Rico, US and eventually Colombia, the last bastion of the harder style. By the mid-'90s the fatter sound (salsa gordo) was thankfully re-emerging in significant quantity. Santiago won the Billboard Bravo Award for Best Selling Album and an ACE Award for Band of the Year '87. Meanwhile González signed with Musical Productions (run by ex-TH executive producer Tony Moreno) and released the Billboard chart-topper Willie González y Noche Sensual Orquesta '86, earning Farándula Diplo awards for Album of the Year and Best New Salsa Artist of the Year; followed by the decreasingly successful Sin Comparación, Para Ustedes 'El Publico' and Justo A Tiempo '89-92. Conjunto Chaney, who had released Chaney Chaney Chaney and Conjunto Chaney '80-83, continued with El Conjunto del Amor, Más Que Atrevido, El Conjunto del Amor, Somos Amigos and La Escuela de la Salsa '86-94. Santiago carried on with chart-toppers Sigo Atrevido! '88 (nominated for a Grammy '89) and Invasión de la Privacidad '88, nom. for awards '90. In '89 Capitol/EMI Latin lured away Santiago and TH-Rodven's recording and production director Delgado; the TH-Rodven/CBS compilation Los Príncipes de la Salsa '90 of Santiago and Luis Enrique tracks was a big hit (the track 'Amiga' by Nicaraguan-born salsa sensual heart-throb Enrique was nominated for a Grammy). Santiago's last on TH-Rodven, El Rey de la Salsa Romántica '91, didn't match the chart performance of its predecessors; his EMI debut Soy El Mismo/I'm Still The Same '91 was a Billboard no. 1 but did poorly in Puerto Rico; Intensamente '93 made little impact on the charts, but 'Amar A Muerte' from Cada Vez Otra Vez '93 was a minor hit. Eponymous EMI finale '95 and De Vuelta A Casa '96 on Rodven made little impact. |