Excited about Voltio playing in London this weekend, we dug up this great video of a live gig he did at the Oso Blanco prison in Puerto Rico (yes I know, white bear, funny name for a prison). Fluffy white bears the inmates ain't I'm sure, but it's well moving to see how much the music meant to them.
And it got us thinking, this isn't the first time that a latin artist has played in prison (that is not an inmate in it), it's a whole tradition! Who else but Ruben Blades, the most right-on salsero, would be in there... with humanitarian sermons and all. Here he is with Bobby Valentin orchestra celebrating Bobby's Orchestra 35th anniversary, Oso Blanco too
In this one, early 1980s, Marvin Santiago totaly rocked Bayamón Prison, where he was infact serving time, and recorded part of his album Adentro
We couldn't leave you without mention of the fathers of prison salsa themselves, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, who did it first, live at New York's Sing Sing prison in 1972, recording one of the best live salsa albums of all time while doing it. Sorry, in those days no filming was aloud, here below is a tsater... it's worth getting the album
To end on a high note let's talk about Libertad (Freedom) and one of the greatest salsa tracks of all time Mi Libertad written for and sung by one of the greatest salseros, Frankie Ruiz on his release from jail in Jacksonville, Texas
And here is Frankie talking about his experience in jail, a nice interview...
