Joe Bataan up in Latin Harlem where he started his career by interpreting his personal experiences from the streets. With his natural talent for different genres of music and self-taught skills on the piano, he formed his first band in 1965 and had his first hit, Gypsy Woman, on the Fania Records label in 1967. The song was a hit in the New York Latin market, even though the lyrics were in English. In 1973, Bataan helped coin the term “salsoul”, which was also the name of his first post-Fania album, and later started the Salsoul label. He recorded three albums for Salsoul and several singles, including Rap-O Clap-O from 1979 which became an early hip hop hit. After his 1981 album, Bataan II, he retired from music to spend more quality time with his family. Joe brought notable innovations to music, such as the fusion of rhythms influenced by Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. Bataan was the driving force of Latin Pop Soul, and also anticipated disco, a genre he would later greatly influence. We recommend starting your Joe Bataan vinyl collection with the essential Sweet Soul, Gypsy Woman, or Salsoul. Our LP inventory is constantly changing, so check back often, or browse our list of vinyl records for sale from disco musicians.
