Real Name : | Hermenegildo Olivera Jr | |
Nickname : | N/A | |
Born : | January 30, 1959 | |
Birth Place : | Newark,New Jersey |
Hermenegildo ” Herman ” Olivera Jr. was born to Puerto Rican Parents on January 30 , 1959 in Newark,New Jersey.
He began singing at the age of twelve & by the time he reached fifteen, he was singing with various local groups. It was at one of these engagements where Manny Oquendo , Andy Gonzalez & Pupy Cantor were struck by the young singer’s vocal talent as well as his charismatic stage presence.
It was just a matter of time before he was offered the chance to be behind the microphone in front of Manny Oquendo’s “Conjunto Libre” with whom he recorded five albums & had a string of hits like “Decidete”, “No Me Echen La Culpa”, “Que Humanidad ” & “Tu Me Perteneces” among others.
After his tenure with “Libre” , Herman went on to work regularly with “Johnny Pacheco” for a few years & also frequently worked with “Ray Barretto” , “Bobby Rodriguez Y La Compañia ” & “The Machito Orchestra”. He also participated in the “Israel Cachao Lopez” documentary produced by Andy Garcia titled “Como Mi Ritmo No Hay Dos”.
Herman Olivera is featured as lead vocalist on forty one productions to date, including one solo recording ” Chequea La Mercancia ” & has also collaborated with many mainstream artists on a number of projects.
This dynamic SONERO is currently the lead singer of the “Eddie Palmieri Orchestra” , where he is featured on five cd’s with the nine time Grammy Award Winner & Master Pianist including “Masterpiece/Obra Maestra” with the late, great Tto Puente which garnered two grammys.
Herman Olivera is considered by many as one of the very few SONEROS left in the true salsa genre. He has & continues to tour all over the world, appearing as a featured vocalist in many prestigious festivals, T.V. shows, etc., including stints with The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band & The Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Band.
It has been noted that this brilliant vocalist has all the essential qualities of a great singer: diction, vocalization, soul & feeling which combined with his charisma & the palatable timbre of his voice projects the well seasoned mixture of the Afro Caribbean rhythms.