UNION CITY – Legendary Dominican merengue singer Fernando Villalona will perform a concert on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Union City Performing Arts Center, 2500 Kennedy Blvd. The concert will also feature the U.S. premiere of one of the most popular reggaeton fusion musical groups from Cuba, Máxima Alerta. Admission is free. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert will begin at 6 p.m. Free parking is available at the municipal parking deck, 23rd Street between Summit and Kerrigan Avenues.
Villalona was born Ramón Fernando Villalona Évora in Loma de Cabrera, Dajabón Province on May 7, 1955. The first artist named “El Mayimbe,” he began singing in the early 1970s and became popular after participating in “El Festival de la Voz,” an amateur TV talent show. Merengue icon Wilfrido Vargas hired him to be part of his group Los Hijos del Rey but Villalona and the group soon separated. Despite going into a period of drugs and isolation Villalona never stopped singing, and recorded some of his best music during this period. Songs such as “Tabaco y ron,” “Celos,” “La Hamaquita,” “Dominicano Soy,” and “Carnaval” among others became popular in the 1980s. “Quisqueya,” “No Podrás,” “Música Latina,” “Retorno,” and “Me he Enamorado” were some of his biggest hits in the 1990s. In recent years he has experienced some health problems, making performing a difficult task. But despite not being able to perform frequently, he is probably still the most important merengue singer in Dominican history. He was married to Evelyn Jorge a woman of Puerto Rican origin and they have a daughter named Paloma.
Máxima Alerta’s story began in Santa Clara, a busy city in the center of Cuba, where Ray Machado, aka “El Italiano,” the lead singer, musical director, and composer of most of the songs, developed the group. In 2003 Máxima Alerta exploded on the scene, hitting radio and television stations with two songs, “Cast pa ‘front” and “Adegüello 1895,” which very quickly became popular throughout the country. In 2005 the band was nominated to Cubadisco for “Best Album Rap, Dance and Hip Hop.”
In 2011 they released the CD “Alertas para Todos,” recorded and produced by Nando Pro in Havana, Cuba. The album contains 14 tracks, of which six feature special guests: Yulien Oviedo and Dantes (Charanga Habanera), Alexander Delgado y Randy Marcos (Gente de Zona), Sisto Llorente “El Indio” (Orquesta Aragón), and Alain Daniel and Ramón Lavado (El Chacal). The CD also features a song dedicated to one of the greatest Cuban baseball players, Victor Mesa.
The group has crafted an intense and dynamic signature sound that is a fusion of elastic bass lines, powerful programming, catchy choruses sung in unison with warlike ardor, counterpoints that owe as much (if not more) to rap as to reggae or Latin beats.
Space is limited for this general admission, first come first served concert. Preference will be given to senior citizens and Union City residents. No alcoholic beverages or big bags are allowed.
Singer Fernando Villalona and Cuban fusion group Máxima Alerta play Union City
