Henry Fiol

Henry Fiol is a singer, composer and percussionist. He also acts as a bandleader, producer, painter and writer. He was born in New York City, where he has lived his entire life. Father: Puerto Rican Mother. Italian-American Children. Henry Fiol is father to three children. Orlando, the oldest, is a pianist/arranger/percussionist who sometimes performs with his father. He graduated from Hunter College, where he studied art. He also received his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. His work experience: He worked in New York City as a counselor for students with behavior issues and as an art teacher at Catholic schools. Artist: He was an artist during the LP era. In 1978, Latin New York Magazine awarded him the best album cover award for his cover illustration for “Siempre Sere Guajiro ” but since the CD format has been reduced to a CD size, he has resorted to photography. Composer: Henry Fiol has recorded a majority of his songs. Although he does not read or write music, he was always involved in the creation of his arrangements. He was a writer. In the late nineties, his first book, The Short End of the Stick, was published in English. It is still unpublished, even though it has been completed. Musical Career: Started his musical career almost forty years ago as a coro/conga singer. 1974-1978: He was the co-founder, leader, conga player and lead singer for Saoco. The group recorded two albums and he wrote most of its material. 1980-1982: Recorded two albums with SAR Records as soloist and had several top-ten hits in Colombia and Ecuador. Later, he toured Latin-America performing numerous concerts and TV appearances. 1983-1987: He formed his own band, Corazon, and introduced his brass instrumentation of trumpet with the tenor Sax. 1984-1987: He founded Corazon Records and started using red-and-black stage clothes with the heart symbol. He recorded three albums during this time on the Corazon record label. 1987-1991: He returned to solo work and recorded his 1989 solo album with Orlando. He reorganized his band a year later. This time he added two trumpets to his section and a tenor-sax to his horn section. With his new instrumentation, he continued his travels and performed live. 1991-2002: Earthworks/Virgin issued a worldwide compilation album in 1991. In this time, Earthworks/Virgin also released two more albums, one in New York, and one in Colombia. A second compilation album, “Lo Maximo”, was also produced. 2002-present: Henry Fiol recorded and produced the album “Guaperia”, which was released in 2002 by his production company Corazon Productions. It contains seven original Fiol compositions as well as three adaptations of Cuban classics. Henry Fiol produced and recorded the album “De Cachete” with the assistance of several excellent Colombian musicians in 2008. This disc, which is on Fiol’s own label Corazon Records, includes nine Fiol compositions. It can be downloaded for free from this site. Henry Fiol recorded Salsa Subterranea in New York in 2011 with his conjunto. He continued the free download idea. He continues to provide his music for free by releasing “Ciudadano del Mundo” in 2012. This CD was also recorded in New York with the help of his conjunto. Henry Fiol continues to travel internationally and continue performing on an international stage, especially in Latin America and Europe where he has been a constant favorite and “classic” artist over the years. Travels: USA, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Canary Islands etc. Visit www.henryfiol.com

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