Salsa Colombiana is salsa made in, or associated with, Colombia. Late 1960s and '70s pioneers of salsa colombiana include Michi Sarmiento y su Combo Bravo, Julian y su Combo (led by Julian Angulo), Los Supremos (featuring singer / composer Piper Pimienta) and Fruko (Julio Ernesto Estrada). Jairo Varela's Grupo Niche, who debuted at the end of the '70s, became Colombia's first internationally successful salsa act. Their popularity fired a major salsa boom in Colombia during the '80s, with numerous local bands emulating the Niche sound. Ex-Fruko vocalist Joe Arroyo also enjoyed some international fame in the late '80s. By '92, Orquesta Guayacán (led by Niche's former co-musical director and arranger Alexis Lozano) became a major rival of Niche on the international scene. The multitalented Diego Galé became a dominant force in salsa colombiana during the 2000s via his band Grupo Galé and as the producer of numerous albums by other, mainly studio, bands and retrospective projects for established salsa artists, many of whom were Puerto Rican.
- John Child