So that when I came to New York again, it was, I'm not too sure right now, but it was '74 or '75. I went to Miami in '74 and then I came to New York, I think, at the end of '74.

I was the first person to come into New York with a Latin American point of view which was also very much influenced by political happenings in Latin America.

Everyone comes back. It makes no difference how far we wander, we always have our country, our land, in our souls and our minds.

And music was a very important part of our lives. The radio was on all day.

I was born in Panama, the Republic of Panama, on July 16, 1948 in Panama City, in an area called San Felipe.

Every band had their own distinctive sound, but it was pretty much dancing music and rhythmic music with a tremendous emphasis on copying the Cuban models.

I was a kid, and I remember my mother singing. She was also a radio soap opera actress, but my mother sang.