Dubbed as “the national voice of Puerto Rico,” boricua singer Danny Rivera (born on February 27, 1945) established himself as a bona fide hit maker during his heyday in the 70s with his extensive repertoire of romantic boleros. Equal parts social activist and musical archeologist, Rivera was born in San Juan and soon became infatuated with music, first singing in his local church choir and then playing percussion in the streetside bomba ensembles of the famed Santurce neighborhood. After making his debut as a big band singer in César Concepción’s orchestra in 1968, Rivera participated in a series of televised music festivals that exposed him to a wider audience. Shortly after, the singer began an impressive streak of hit singles that included “Porque Yo Te Amo,” “Fuiste Mia Un Verano,” and “Jesucristo,” which were followed by debut LP Mi Hijo in 1972. Rivera’s popularity increased considerably during the mid to late 70s as he released the albums Canciones de Amor (1975), Alborada (1976), the Eydie Gormé duet Muy Amigos (1977), and Serenata (1979). The hits kept on coming in the 80s with the full-lengths Así Cantaba Cheíto González (1984), Controversia (1985), and the Grammy-nominated Amar o Morir (1987), whose title track peaked at Number 6 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. Even though his popularity waned during the 90s, Rivera remained as ambitious as ever, delving deep into Puerto Rican traditions on Danza Para Mi Pueblo (1993) and releasing a live album entitled En Vivo desde el Carnegie Hall in 1999. In 2001, his protest against US military exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques resulted in a month-long imprisonment that spawned the collection of poems Enamorado de la paz: Diario en la Cárcel Federal, published the following year. Subsequently, Rivera became further involved in social causes and continued to explore the Latin American songbook on Romanza (2013) and Obsesión (2014).
