Sergio George
Encyclopedia
Sergio George is a pianist
and record producer
, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music
, although he has worked in other genres as well. He has worked with some of Latin music's most popular artists including India
, Anaís
, Marc Anthony
, Tito Nieves
, Víctor Manuelle
, Frankie Negrón
, Johnny Rivera
, Ray Sepúlveda
, Tito Puente
, DLG, Orquesta de la Luz
, Celia Cruz
, La India
, Jerry Rivera
, Bacilos
, among others.
. He was the main visionary behind the New York-based Latin label RMM Records & Video
, between 1988 to 1995, arranging, producing, and directing dozens of recordings for that label. In early 2004, Sergio George and Latin recording executive George Zamora created SGZ Entertainment, in Miami, Florida
, focusing on urban artists. SGZ is now partly owned by Univision Music Group
. In August 2006, SGZ Entertainment became part of La Calle Records, a sublabel of Univision
. During the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards
, Sergio George won Producer of the Year
for his work on "Historia De Taxi" by Ricardo Arjona
featuring Marc Anthony
, "La Vida Se Va" by Gloria Trevi
, "Mi Mayor Sacrificio" by Tito Nieves
featuring Marco Antonio Solís
, "Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo" by DLG
featuring Ness
, "Toro Mata" by DLG
featuring Napoles
and Ness
and the album El Cantante
by Marc Anthony. In 2009, George founded Top Stop Music
, and the first release was with Luis Enrique and his album, Ciclos
which has topped the charts and garnered two Latin Grammy awards. At the end of 2009, he signed Prince Royce
, whose self-titled debut album was released early 2010.
Added to the label's roster is Loisaidas, a musical duo. They currently have released three singles including, "No Me Dejes", "Ayer", and the recently released "Porque Te Amo". Their self-titled debut album is scheduled to be released Dec 2010. They are from New York City's Lower East Side - hence the name Loisaidas - which is the Spanish slang term for "lower east siders." At the end of 2009, La India
signed with Top Stop Music, having her first single released in early 2010, "Estupida" which quickly reached number one on the US Billboard Tropical Songs chart. Her album, Unica
, was released by Top Stop Music on June 1, 2010. At the 11th Latin Grammy Awards
, George received his second award for Producer of the Year, for his work on "Corazón Sin Cara
", "Tu y Yo" and "Stand By Me
" by Prince Royce
, "Estúpida", "Si Él Te Habla De Mi", "Smile" and "Te Vas a Arrepentir" by La India
.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, although he has worked in other genres as well. He has worked with some of Latin music's most popular artists including India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
, Anaís
Anaís
-Notable TV Guest Appearances:*Premios Juventud*Latin Grammys*Latin Grammy Celebra Marco Antonio Solís*Al Despertar 41*El Show de Cristina*Escándalo TV*Anda Pa'l Cará*El Gordo y la Flaca*Despierta América*Premios Casandras 2007...
, Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
, Tito Nieves
Tito Nieves
Humberto "Tito" Nieves became one of the leading Salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s....
, Víctor Manuelle
Victor Manuelle
Víctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on November 4, 1968 in Bronx, New York, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud...
, Frankie Negrón
Frankie Negron
Frankie Negrón is a singer of Salsa music of Puerto Rican descent...
, Johnny Rivera
Johnny Rivera
Johnny Rivera is a Puerto Rican American salsa singer.Rivera was raised in the Bronx, and attended high school at Benjamin Franklin High School. He moved briefly to Puerto Rico before returning to New York to begin a career in music...
, Ray Sepúlveda
Ray Sepúlveda
Ray Sepúlveda is a Puerto Rican American salsa singer, born in Brooklyn, New York.Sepúlveda grew up in Brooklyn & the Bronx, New York, where his father, Ramon Sepulveda sang boleros with his group "Trio Los Romanticos"...
, Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, DLG, Orquesta de la Luz
Orquesta de la Luz
is a Japanese salsa band that began performing and recording in 1990. The band sings in Spanish, and is led by vocalist Nora, who returned to traditional salsa after the band broke up in the mid-1990s...
, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
, La India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
, Jerry Rivera
Jerry Rivera
-Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...
, Bacilos
Bacilos
Bacilos was a Colombian group based in Miami, Florida, USA. Their album Caraluna won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Pop Latin Album and its 2004 release Sin Vergüenza has again been nominated for Best Latin Pop Album in the Grammy Awards of 2005...
, among others.
Biography
George was born and raised in New York City, and attended the City College of New YorkCity College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
. He was the main visionary behind the New York-based Latin label RMM Records & Video
RMM Records & Video
RMM Records, also known as RMM Records & Video Corp, was an independent Latin music record label based in New York City, The record label was formed originally as RMM Management by one of Fania Records promoter Ralph Mercado, but in 1987 it started operating as a record label, with Angelito...
, between 1988 to 1995, arranging, producing, and directing dozens of recordings for that label. In early 2004, Sergio George and Latin recording executive George Zamora created SGZ Entertainment, in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, focusing on urban artists. SGZ is now partly owned by Univision Music Group
Univision Music Group
For the successor to this company, go to Universal Music Latin Entertainment.Univision Music Group was a Latin music company in the United States with approximately 45% market share...
. In August 2006, SGZ Entertainment became part of La Calle Records, a sublabel of Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
. During the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 13, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and were aired on Univision. The Brazilian Field awards were presented on the same day at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo. The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was Gloria...
, Sergio George won Producer of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Producer of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Producer of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists, in the United States and internationally...
for his work on "Historia De Taxi" by Ricardo Arjona
Ricardo Arjona
Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, , known as Ricardo Arjona , is a Guatemalan singer...
featuring Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
, "La Vida Se Va" by Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi is a Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter. She was described as the "Supreme Diva of the Mexican Pop" by the music channel VH1 and sold over 20 million records.-Biography:...
, "Mi Mayor Sacrificio" by Tito Nieves
Tito Nieves
Humberto "Tito" Nieves became one of the leading Salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s....
featuring Marco Antonio Solís
Marco Antonio Solís
Marco Antonio Solís is a Mexican musician, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has sold over 80 million records and written over 300 songs, arguably making him one of the most successful singer-songwriters in Latin America.-Early life and career:Marco Antonio Solís started his...
, "Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo" by DLG
DLG
DLG is a salsa band that mixes salsa, reggae, reggaeton, and hip-hop. The group was brought together in New York by producer Sergio George and included Huey Dunbar, Fragancia, and James "Da Barba" de Jesus.-Beginnings:Looking for vocalists, Sergio George discovered within the salsa club scenes both...
featuring Ness
Ness
- Places :* The Germanic word for promontory, found in Northern European placenames* Loch Ness, a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands** Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness...
, "Toro Mata" by DLG
DLG
DLG is a salsa band that mixes salsa, reggae, reggaeton, and hip-hop. The group was brought together in New York by producer Sergio George and included Huey Dunbar, Fragancia, and James "Da Barba" de Jesus.-Beginnings:Looking for vocalists, Sergio George discovered within the salsa club scenes both...
featuring Napoles
Nápoles
Nápoles is the name of a Portuguese family whose roots lie in the Kingdom of Naples. A claimed secondary branch of the royal Capetian House of Anjou, of the kings of Naples, the Nápoles descend from Stephen of Durazzo who moved to Portugal...
and Ness
Ness
- Places :* The Germanic word for promontory, found in Northern European placenames* Loch Ness, a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands** Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness...
and the album El Cantante
El Cantante (album)
El Cantante is a studio album by Andrés Calamaro. Initially it was going to include only covers from Latinoamerican artists but in the end 3 new songs recorded by Calamaro were added...
by Marc Anthony. In 2009, George founded Top Stop Music
Top Stop Music
Top Stop Music is an independent record label founded by Puerto Rican producer, Sergio George in 2009.-History:Sergio George was known for producing albums for salsa musicians during his work with RMM Records & Video during the 1990s. Following the purchase of RMM Records in 2001, George left the...
, and the first release was with Luis Enrique and his album, Ciclos
Ciclos (Luis Enrique Album)
Ciclos is the seventeenth studio album by Nicaraguan recording artist Luis Enrique, released by Top Stop Music on May 19, 2009.- Track listing :# "Yo No Sé Mañana" - 4:19...
which has topped the charts and garnered two Latin Grammy awards. At the end of 2009, he signed Prince Royce
Prince Royce
Geoffrey Royce Rojas , known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from New York City, New York. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music and into his teenage years, began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen, Royce met...
, whose self-titled debut album was released early 2010.
Added to the label's roster is Loisaidas, a musical duo. They currently have released three singles including, "No Me Dejes", "Ayer", and the recently released "Porque Te Amo". Their self-titled debut album is scheduled to be released Dec 2010. They are from New York City's Lower East Side - hence the name Loisaidas - which is the Spanish slang term for "lower east siders." At the end of 2009, La India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
signed with Top Stop Music, having her first single released in early 2010, "Estupida" which quickly reached number one on the US Billboard Tropical Songs chart. Her album, Unica
Unica (La India album)
Unica is India's ninth Studio Album. India released Unica under record label Top Stop Music which was founded by grammy winner Sergio George. The album features her 7th #1 hit on the Tropical Billboard Charts, Estupida which made India the female with the most #1 hits on the Tropical Billboard...
, was released by Top Stop Music on June 1, 2010. At the 11th Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards of 2010
The 11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on November 11, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the third time the annual event had taken place at this location. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated was July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Nominations...
, George received his second award for Producer of the Year, for his work on "Corazón Sin Cara
Corazón Sin Cara
"Corazón Sin Cara" is a Latin pop song by American singer-songwriter Prince Royce. It was written and composed by Prince Royce, and produced by Andrés Hidalgo and Sergio George. The song's lyrical content deals with the self-esteem of girls and their appearance. Royce says that the message of the...
", "Tu y Yo" and "Stand By Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
" by Prince Royce
Prince Royce
Geoffrey Royce Rojas , known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from New York City, New York. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music and into his teenage years, began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen, Royce met...
, "Estúpida", "Si Él Te Habla De Mi", "Smile" and "Te Vas a Arrepentir" by La India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
.