Draco Rosa
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| Robi Draco Rosa | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Pink Edward Suarez |
| Born | June 27, 1969 Long Island, New York |
| Genres | Alternative Rock |
| Occupations | Musician Singer-Songwriter Producer |
| Instruments | Voice and Guitar |
| Years active | 1984-present |
| Labels | Phantom Vox + Sony Music |
| Associated acts | Menudo Lenny Kravitz Maggie's Dream Ricky Martin |
Robi Draco Rosa (born Robert Pink Edward Suarez, June 27, 1969) is a Puerto Rican-American musician, dancer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, who was born in Long Island, New York, and grew up in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico. He originally garnered fame as a member of boy band Menudo in the 1980s. In recent years, he has appeared on VH1's Behind the Music, I Love The 80s, and the Hong Kong-based talk show Where Are They Now? in archived footage of early concerts and videos. He has released four concept albums which consists of Vagabundo, Mad Love, Vino and Amor Vincit Omnia.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Menudo Years
Rosa's early interest in music led him to audition for the Latin pop boy band, Menudo, where he replaced Johnny Lozada in 1984 and quickly became a fan favorite. He was the second band member to join the singing group who was not a native of Puerto Rico (Miguel Cancel was born in Illinois). He was also the first member who spoke English fluently, having been born in New York. With the group's cross-over to English, his timing in joining Menudo was perfect, as he was able to sing most of the English songs. The group's first English album Reaching Out featured a single which was in the Hollywood film Cannonball Run 2, "If You're Not Here". The single was sung by Robby. On Robby's second album with the group he sang his first Spanish single hit which was called "Sabes A Chocolate" (You taste like chocolate). His third album with Menudo featured another English hit with "Hold Me," which gained airplay on most mainstream radio stations and had a music video that gained play. In 1987, he was replaced in Menudo by Ruben Gomez after the band's manager denied Rosa the opportunity to contribute songs to the group. However, Rosa was also 17 years old when he quit, 1 year over the age limit set by management.
[edit] Other work
Rosa has been highly influenced by the works of Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Luis Alberto Spinetta, The Doors, Camarón de la Isla, Caetano Veloso and Glenn Danzig. His 1996 Vagabundo produced by Phil Manzanera is considered to be the Nevermind of the Latin Alternative movement and one of the most important jewels of Rock en Español. He also helped launch Ricky Martin's musical career into a new global setting by writing and producing some of his hottest singles including "Livin' la Vida Loca". Rosa toured with Lenny Kravitz during the summer of 2004 to promote his 2nd (all English) concept album Mad Love. His 2008 album Vino is also a musical masterpiece filled with Dark Ambient electronica and Alternative Rock melodrama.
[edit] Personal life
Rosa currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Angela Alvarado and two (2) sons, Revel Angel and Redamo. He also owns a recording studio, an independent music label and a multimedia company under the name of Phantom Vox.
[edit] Legacy
Rosa has also contributed towards the improvement of artistic and cultural life in Puerto Rico, sponsoring the country's Museum of Art and Museum of Contemporary Art, and setting up an annual scholarship for outstanding students at the Music Conservatory. His contributions to music also overshadowed Latin American alternative artists like Cristián Heyne and Adrian Voyd achieve total independence from the Major Record Label domain.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Maggie's Dream
- Maggie's Dream (1990)
[edit] Robi Rosa
- Frio (1994)
[edit] Robi Draco Rosa
- Vagabundo (1996 Concept Album)
- Songbirds & Roosters (1998 English Versions from Frio and Vagabundo)
- Libertad Del Alma (2001 Compilation)
- Mad Love (2004 Concept Album)
- Como Me Acuerdo (2004 Compilation)
- Y El Teatro Del Absurdo (2007 Album)
[edit] Draco Rosa
- Draco al Natural (2005 Live Album)
- Ensayos al Natural (2005 Compilation)
- Vino (2008 Concept Album)
- Padre Mío (2008 Single)
- Teatro Live (2008 Live Album)
- Draco (2009 Album)
