Justo Betancourt - Leguleya No (1982/2024) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

In his heyday, Justo Betancourt’s lyrical spontaneity and creativity, plus his ability to sing in a variety of styles with equal expertise, earned him the reputation of being a “singers’ singer”. He punctuates his vocals with catchphrases like “Distinto y Diferente” (Distinctive and Different), which was also the title of his 1977 album on Fania Records. Born in Cuba on December 6th 1940 into a musical family, at the age of 11 he sang with a small group called Cabeza de Perros named after the brand of beer that sponsored them. At 16 he sang with the popular group Guaguancó Matancero. In 1958 he began singing with Conjunto Club and recorded the 45 “Para Gozar Cubita” with them on the Fama label.

He left Cuba in 1964 and spent eight months in Greece before moving to New York. There he worked with bandleader and timbales player Orlando Marín for two years, and appeared on his Top 10 album Esta En Algo (1967) on the Fiesta label. On this album he sang the original version of the Tony Rios composition “Aprende A Querer” which became a hit again in 2003/4 when the Spanish Harlem Orchestra covered the number on their Grammy-nominated album Un Gran Dia En El Barrio on Ryko / Ropeadope Records. He sang with the band of Fania Records co-founder Johnny Pacheco for two weeks before becoming a vocalist with La Sonora Matancera, appearing on their mid-’60s album Presentando El Nuevo Sonido Fabuloso De La Sonora Matancera on Seeco Records.

In 1968 he was signed as a solo artist to the Fania Records label. His debut album was El Explosivo (1968), but it was not until Los Dinamicos (1971), a collaboration with Pacheco, and his 1972 Pa Bravo Yo, that his popularity really started to grow. The title track of the latter, written by Ismael Miranda, became his trademark. In addition to making six more solo albums for Fania between 1974 and 1982, he recorded with Larry Harlow, Fania All Stars, Mongo Santamaría, Celia Cruz, Papo Lucca, La Sonora Matancera and Tito Puente.

TRACKLIST

1. Justo Betancourt - De Madrugada (Remastered 2024)
2. Justo Betancourt - Las Leyes (Remastered 2024)
3. Justo Betancourt - Sin Motivo (Remastered 2024)
4. Justo Betancourt - Aquí Sí Hay Hispanos (Remastered 2024)
5. Justo Betancourt - Tu Veras Que Rico Es (Remastered 2024)
6. Justo Betancourt - Leguleya No (Remastered 2024)
7. Justo Betancourt - Ven Pronto (Remastered 2024)
8. Justo Betancourt - Muellero (Remastered 2024)



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