Galo Rivera Bio
Artistically
genuine; unique.
Playing with passion and zeal.
Galo
Rivera is as artistically genuine and unique as music gets. Finding a consuming
joy in his instruments (Guitar), he plays with a passion and zeal that is
obvious to any listener, while at the same time, delivering welcomed refreshment
for the seasoned musician. Galo is one of the most respected Latin Rock guitar
players known around the world. His music influences has been: Los Indios
Tabajara, Santana, John
McLaughlin, Malo, Mandrill, Ohio Players, Graham Central Station, Earth, Wind,
and Fire, Larry Carlton, Chic Corea, Al DiMeola, and Jimi Hendrix.
After
coming to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico on July 4th 1968, Galo found early
renown touring Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, South and Central America,
with various bands and on his own. By the age of 21 he was playing on stages
like Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center in New York City. Throughout his
teenage years Galo continued to hone his skills as musician, recording engineer
and a record producer. Galo has also sheared the stage (co-billing) with greats
like Blood Sweat and Tears, Tito Nieves, Roberto Torres, Warren Hill, Plena Libre, Huey Dunbar, Willy
Chirino, and many others.
In his later years Galo has performed
and traveled doing an unbelievable Tribute to Santana in his concerts,
like nobody else in the world does. His guitar tone, heart, energy and
feel expresses the same soul fullness and heart penetrating leads like
Santana brings to the stages. (Galo says "no cookie cutters here")
Longtime Santana engineer, Glen Kolotkin (winner of a Grammy in 2000 for
the production of Santana’s Supernatural CD) says of Galo: "He’s in the
same league as other great guitarists I have recorded like Jimi Hendrix
and Carlos Santana.