Joe Bataan

The story of New York Latin soul is impossible to tell without Joe Bataan. He didn't just sing the sound of East Harlem in the late '60s; he willed it into existence, fusing the sweet harmonies of his beloved doo-wop with the tough, Afro-Cuban rhythms rattling out of neighborhood windows. Bataan cut a series of raw, essential sides for Fania Records—think "Gypsy Woman" and "Subway Joe"—that defined the boogaloo movement. But he was never one to stand still, leaving Fania to co-found the legendary Salsoul label, building a bridge from street-corner grit to the polished sheen of disco. It's that unfiltered, honest tenor that remains the constant, a sound of pure city soul that’s never been replicated.