by
Marisa
Miranda, Esq.
Here it was, Friday night at the Copacabana. The
famous nightclub was abuzz with music, laughter, conversation, and dancing. I
was waiting for the artist I was to interview that evening, George Lamond, when
I bumped into an old friend, a conga player, who used to work for a friend of mine,
Miles Peña, but who now works for George Lamond. For a short while, we chatted
and watched Michael Stuart who was performing. Then I saw George Lamond come in.
George
Lamond is the kind of artist that it’s a pleasure to know. Recently, he has
had much success in Salsa, and yet he remains a warm, humble man devoted to his
family. Other artists can be arrogant, difficult, and condescending, but
George's success has not gone to his head. When he saw me, he greeted me as if
we were old friends and off we went to do the interview.
When you hear the name George Lamond, you think of
the songs Bad of the Heart and Si Tú Te Vas. This Bronx boy has
been working diligently and moving toward the fulfillment of his dream. George
Garcia, Lamond’s real name, was born on February 25th, and was raised in the
Bronx, New York, in the vicinity of 170th Street between Walton and Marcy
Avenues. George's musical career began in the 6th grade at Christ the King
Catholic School in the Bronx. He laughed when he found out that I was a Bronx
Catholic schoolgirl myself.
George smiled as he explained that his first stage
was the school bathroom. It started one day when George and two of his friends,
in the bathroom, began singing a Coca Cola commercial. Since they were singing a
capella, the bathroom was the best place to hear their voices echoing. The word
began to spread that George could sing and he soon began to receive attention
from all the young girls in school - his first fans. From that moment on, George
knew he had a talent for singing. George continued to nurture that talent. He
studied music and joined the choir, but not everyone knew that George was
singing. It was not until he was 19 years old that his mother and others
discovered George's hidden talent.
Although George's passion lays in music, he went to
the High School for Art & Design and after graduation, he pursued
architecture. However, he discovered a new genre of music, freestyle, and began
to get involved in it. George dropped his studies in architecture and continued
to sing. In 1989, George pursued freestyle music due to the influence of a young
woman named Marilyn Rodriguez who had composed songs for such freestyle artists
as Judy Torres. Marilyn Rodriguez was responsible for introducing George to
other writers. At the age of 19, he recorded Bad of the
Heart, which
turned out to be his first freestyle hit. Later came Where Does That Leave
Love.
George signed with an independent label, Lagosa. The
single, Bad Of The Heart, became such a hit that he proceeded to record a
whole album. The single sold 80,000 copies. "Back then," George
said, "for an independent label, that was really good. [Today] a lot of
people recognize [Bad of the Heart] but they don't know the name.
It's kind of weird because people will say 'Oh yeah, I know that song but I did
not know that was you.' " George's success caught the attention of
Columbia Records which signed him to a full album deal. George's life began to
change. He began to lead the life of a hot artist that everyone wanted to
market. He was supplied with everything, such as his music, his producers, and
his image. George even toured with New Kids on the Block who were hot at
the time.
However, George's success with his first recording
was short lived. When Columbia released George's second album, it did not have
the success the record company expected. George was then released from the
company, but he did not give up. He understood why he was released and continued
to struggle to make his career in music a success. He went through hard times
and even had days when he was disheartened. But George pushed forward. He
continued to perform and do interviews. His song was still well liked by many
and he never lost his audience.
George took advantage of his limited gigs, networked
with many people in the music industry, and began to focus on his own writing.
He got together with Robyn Entertainment and released a greatest hits album
titled, George Lamond Hits and
More. The album included six of his hits and some
new songs. While in the production stage of his greatest hits album, he joined
forces with Sergio George to do a Salsa track. Once George proved to Sergio that
he could sing and speak Spanish, Sergio committed himself to the project. A
Spanish track was done and George was committed to spend more of his time doing
an album in Spanish.
George was then financed to do this Latin album. He
concentrated his efforts on recording eight songs, including Si Tú Te Vas,
for his ENTREGA album - his first Salsa album. At the same time that
George was working on his new album, John "Gungie" Rivera, who had
just started his own record label, became interested in signing George to his
company. "Gungie" approached him and George became the first artist
signed to Prestigio Records. "Gungie" felt that with George on his
team, good things would happen for the both of them. "Gungie" was
right.
When his single, Si Tú Te Vas, was released,
it was an instant hit in New York. With one song, George was back on the music
scene where he was meant to be. George is thrilled about singing in a new genre,
mainly because it is a part of him, a part of his culture. He has worked hard to
sing in this style of music. According to him, not everyone can do it. He states
that, "many people believe that anyone can sing salsa. I've got to tell
them that it's not true. It is an art that should be respected. It's a
tradition. It is a style of music that to this day, I am still learning. I am
trying to get it right. Everyday, every gig is a learning experience for me. If
I weren't here doing this interview with you, I would be out there, watching
Michael Stuart perform on stage, and learning from him. Salsa is a beautiful
style of music and should be respected as such. It brought me closer to who I am
and what my people mean. It really is a beautiful type of music."
He has started to improvise but he is wary of doing
it too often, feeling that improvisations cannot be faked. According to George,
this form of poetry comes from the heart. If George cannot put 100% into his
performance, then he would rather wait until he has perfected the task and can
give his audience what they deserve. He is aware that the Salsa audience wants
the spontaneity of improvisations in the performance. He feels that in time, he
will be able to master this art of improvisation and looks to masters such as
Hector Lavoe and José Alberto "El Cañario" for inspiration.
According to George, "whenever I say that I want to do something, I am
going to target it and do it."
George hopes in the future to do more composing for
his own records. He would like to have his songs reflect the society at large. George's second album, entitled GL, was
released on January 30, 2001. The
single that is currently being played on local radio stations is Juraré
Quererte, which is sure to have the same success as Si Tú Te Vas.
The album contains twelve new songs, one of which George wrote and produced.
George co-produced this album, along with Luchito Cabarcas and Miguel Bonilla.
José Lugo, Chéo Arce, Ramón Sanchez, and Pichaco all worked on this project
with George. On the CD, George also has some famous back-up singers and
musicians such as Johnny Rivera, Joe King, Luchito, Marc Quiñonez, and Bobby
Allende. The CD contains two ballads.
There is no doubt that George's CD will be a hit.
This CD will be his first CD to be released internationally. He is sure to
explode. In the coming months, George will be on tour promoting this new CD. He
will be visiting Miami, and the entire Northeast, as well as Chicago. The West
Coast and South America will be next on the list for his tour. George Lamond's
show is worth seeing. He is a good performer and the crowd loves him. He has a
fan base that will never go away and his sweet persona will ensure that. The
warm, humble, family man is one man for all people. He is the same on stage, in
the midst of fans, with friends, or his family. George can also be seen on
various shows, such as Comedy Rhumba, Video Mix, Que Loco, Sábado
Gigante, Sábado 47, and El show Del
Mediodía, as a guest performer.
If anyone would like to learn more about George's
tour dates log on to:
or if you would like to e-mail him, send it to:
Good Luck George!