JOE BATAAN

AfroFilipino King of Latin Soul

Joe Bataan is known as the King of Latin Soul, who combined the spirit of Rhythm and Blues with the energy of Latin music. The son of a Filipino immigrant and an African American woman, he grew up poor in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s.He became a legend in the music world in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Joe is making a comeback. In Part 1 of a 3-part podcast, he recalls his childhood in Harlem and explains his unusual name which was inspired partly by the Tagalog word for “youth” and the Philippine province where a historic battle took place.

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