Héctor Maisonave is a music entrepreneur and talent manager. During a sixty-year career, from 1954 through 2014, Maisonave organized over 7,000 Latin music concerts on five continents. In 2010, in New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, he received their Lifetime Achievement Award for leadership and contributions to the world of music.
In 1951, during the Korean War, Maisonave was drafted for service with the United States Army. To reduce the impact of language barriers, the Spanish speaking Maisonave was sent to Amador, Panama, for his 18 weeks of basic training. After training, Maisonave was assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment, a predominantly Puerto Rican regiment. Maisonave participated in action in the Korean War for three years. In 1954, Maisonave was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, and returned to New York City. In 2014, the Borinqueneers, and collectively each of its soldiers who had served with the regiment between 1899 and 1956, were awarded the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal, for their sacrifice and service to the American people.
Upon his return to New York, Maisonave studied at the Delhente Institute of Technology and graduated in 1957 with a degree in Musicology. Immediately thereafter he began organizing Salsa music concerts in Las Villas, a vacation resort area in Newburgh and Plattekill, New York. He also organized concerts on Hudson River boats to Bear Mountain, and night cruises called "Moonlight on the Hudson." Maisonave also organized concerts in Zaire during the 1974 boxing match known as The Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, a concert in Honolulu with Celia Cruz, and concerts in London, Buenos Aires, and nearly every country in South America. During his sixty-year career, from 1954 through 2014, Maisonave organized over 7,000 concerts on five continents. However, it all started with those early bus trips to Las Villas, where people could dance to their favorite Salsa stars in a friendly and congenial setting. According to Maisonave, "for $10 you got the bus trip, arroz con gandules, pork, ice cream and dancing!" Maisonave also managed and/or promoted the musical careers of Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, El Gran Combo, Cortijo y su Combo, Tito Rodriguez, La India, Joe Cuba, Willie Colón, Ismael Rivera, Sonora Ponceña, and dozens of others. Maisonave's management of Hector's Lavoe's musical career yielded several classic Salsa albums including El Sabio, Qué Sentimiento, Vigilante, Reventó and Strikes Back.
Maisonave was also a dance club owner in New York City. In the late 1970s he owned the Casa Blanca club on 1674 Broadway, on the site of the old Birdland club. With a music format that included popular radio DJs and four live bands nightly, Maisonave doubled the club attendance. Casa Blanca often drew crowds larger than Studio 54 - its neighbor just two blocks away - with lines that extended down Broadway, and spilled onto West 52nd Street.
Recent work
Maisonave continues to be active in the music world. His company - Maisonave Management - lists talent booking, concert promotions, music publishing and copyrighting amongst its many current services. Over the past few years Maisonave has promoted concerts for Grupo Manía, Tito Rojas and José Alberto "El Canario". He also continues to manage the musical careers of La India and Tito Nieves. India is set to release her tenth studio album with Top Stop Music.
Awards and recognition
The following is a partial listing of Maisonave's professional citations and awards over the years:
