Joe Bataan was born Bataan Nitollano in 1942 to African-American/Filipino parents in Spanish Harlem where he briefly led the Dragons, a local Puerto Rican street gang, before being sent to the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to serve time for a stolen car charge and that's when he turned his life around.
Joe learned piano and music theory during his 5 years inside and emerged onto the New York boogaloo scene like a butterfly, becoming the flagship act for Fania records before starting SalSoul records. During the 80/90s/00s he became a social worker working with kids from his own humble and vulnerable beginnings, serving as a role model to inspire them away from the darker side of life. Joe returned to recording in 2005 and continues to perform
Joe Bataan was born Bataan Nitollano in 1942 to African-American/Filipino parents in Spanish Harlem where he briefly led the Dragons, a local Puerto Rican street gang, before being sent to the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to serve time for a stolen car charge and that's when he turned his life around.
Joe learned piano and music theory during his 5 years inside and emerged onto the New York boogaloo scene like a butterfly, becoming the flagship act for Fania records before starting SalSoul records. During the 80/90s/00s he became a social worker working with kids from his own humble and vulnerable beginnings, serving as a role model to inspire them away from the darker side of life. Joe returned to recording in 2005 and continues to perform
You can hear his chat with Ady here:
https://shinyl.co.uk/2019/05/10/joe-bataan/