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For
over 4 decades, Johnny Pacheco has
been a major force in Latin music.
Recognized as one of the top flutists
of his generation, his nine Grammy
nominations, 10 Gold records and numerous
awards pay tribute to his enormous
talent as a composer, arranger, bandleader
and producer. Moreover, he is the
pioneer of an unforgettable musical
era that changed the face of tropical
music history, the era of the Fania
All-Stars.
In 1960, Pacheco
organized his first orchestra, Pacheco
y su Charanga. With their music, the
orchestra started a new dance craze
called "Pachanga," which
quickly brought Pacheco international
recognition as he toured the United
States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
In the mid-60s, Pacheco
founded Fania Records, later gathering
his roster of up-and-coming talented
Latin artists and showcasing them
together in concert. This marked the
birth of the legendary Fania All-Stars,
which continued on for 30 years and
launched the careers of renowned Latin
artists like Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades,
Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe,
Cheo FeliciAño and Pete "El
Conde" Rodriguez.
As a collaborator,
Pacheco is one of the most sought-after
producers in Latin music. Not only
has he worked with many of the venerable
names that were part of the Fania
All-Stars, he’s also stepped
into the studio with artists like
David Byrne of the Talking Heads,
Spanish group MecAño and rap artist
Mangu. His repertoire as a songwriter
includes more than 150 songs.
Pacheco’s breadth
of experience also expands into the
film world. He was the musical director
of the film, Our Latin Thing, the
first movie about Salsa and its influence
on the New York Latin community. In
1974, he worked on a second film entitled
Salsa. During the 1980s, he wrote
the musical scores and themes for
the film Mondo New York and Something
Wild. His most recent work in film
music was the motion picture, The
Mambo Kings.
Over the years, Pacheco
has been honored several times for
his work. The President of the Dominican
Republic, Juaquin Balaguer bestowed
Pacheco with the prestigious Presidential
Medal of Honor in 1996. A year later,
he was the recipient of the Bobby
Capo Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded
by New York Governor George Pataki.
In November of 1998, he was inducted
into the International Latin Music
Hall of Fame.
ASCAP is proud to
honor Pacheco tonight with the Silver
Pen Award in recognition of his songwriting
career spanning 40 years and his vigorous
efforts in bringing the vibrancy of
Latin music to listeners around the
world. |
