Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Vill… Read Full Bio ↴Early years
Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. He received his primary and secondary education in Arecibo. As a young man, he became fascinated with the trumpet and learned to play the musical instrument.
In 1954, Olivencia sang and played the trumpet for local bands. He graduated from high school in 1957 and his family relocated once again to Santurce.
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico
In 1960, Olivencia organized his first orchestra, which he named "Tommy Olivencia y La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico". His band combined swing and melodic styles together. This combination plus a strong brass contingent in the band was his trademark. Olivencia signed a contract with Inca Records and remained with that label until 1978. In 1972, he had his first major "hit" with Secuestro (Kidnapped) and followed that hit with Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) in 1974 and Plante Bandera in 1975.
Olivencia's band was also known as the "Tommy Olivencia School", because the band produced some of the best and most talented singers and musicians of salsa in the island. Among those to have belonged to the band at one time or another were: Chamaco Ramirez, Sammy "El Rolo" González, Simon Perez, Paquito Guzman, Ubaldo "Lalo" Rodriguez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marvin Santiago, Frankie Ruiz, Hector Tricoche, Carlos Alexis, Hector "Pichie" Perez, Paquito "Junior" Acosta and Mel Martínez.
Albums recordings
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Among the albums recorded by Olivencia and his band are:
* Trucu-Tu
* La Nueva Sensacion Musical De Puerto Rico 1965
* Jala-Jala y Guaguancó 1966
* Fire Fire 1967
* A Toda Maquina 1968
* Cuero...Salsa y Sentimiento 1971
* Secuestro (Kidnapped) 1972
* Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) 1974
* Planté Bandera 1975
* Introducing Lalo Rodríguez and Simón Pérez (1976)
* El Negro Chombo 1977
* La Primerísima 1978
* Sweet Trumpet-Hot Salsa 1978
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Paquito Guzmán & Gilberto Santa Rosa (1979)
* Un Triangulo De Triunfo (Triangle of Triumph) (1981)
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Frankie Ruiz & Carlos Alexis 1983
* Celebrando Otro Aniversario(Celebrating Another Anniversary) (1984)
* Ayer, Hoy, Mañana y Siempre(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and Always) (1985)
* 30 Aniversario 1987
* El Jeque 1990
* Enamorado y Que! (I'm in Love, What about it?) 1991
* Vive La Leyenda 1998
* 40 Aniversario Live 2002
The following are considered among the top 100 greatest salsa songs:
* Casimira
* Como Lo Hacen (How they do it)
* Trucutru
* Pa'Lante Otra Vez
* Lobo Domesticado (Domestic Wolf)
* No Me Tires La Primera Piedra
Awards and recognitions
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Among the many awards and recognitions which have been bestowed upon Olivencia are the following:
* The Puerto Rican Senate passed a resolution congratulating Olivencia and his band for their contributions to Puerto Rico's music.
* El Cordero de Oro (The Golden Lamb) and El Buho de Oro (The Golden Owl) Awards from Panama, for the best foreign band.
* The Golden Agueybana Award from Puerto Rico
* The November 11th Award from Colombia
Later years
On August 2000, Olivencia celebrated his 40th anniversary in the music industry at the Tito Puente Theater in San Juan, an event attended by many of the former members of his band. On May 15, 2004, Olivencia celebrated his 66th birthday and 45 years with the band with a live recording concert. The annual "Day of Salsa" of 2005, celebrated in Puerto Rico was dedicated to Olivencia.
Death
He died on September 22, 2006, aged 68, from complications of diabetes, which he had battled his entire life.
Lo Dudo
Tommy Olivencia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No lo hagas por mí, que a fin el cabo somos solo amigos
Anda why ve, te veo nerviosa, anda why ve
Why que sientes con él, lo que en su día tu sentías conmigo
Pero lo dudo
Conmigo té mesías en el aire
Volabas en caballo blanco en mundo
why es que lo dudo
Porque hasta a veces me has llorado por un beso
Llorando de alegría why no de miedo
Why lo dudo té que te pase igual con él, igual con él
Anda why ve, entregale
Todo el amor que un día mío fue
Todo lo que te enseñe puedes gozarlo ha su lado
Pero no pienses en mi es un punto ya pasado why olvidado
Yo no te prometi nada que no pudiera cumplir
Te ensene lo que es carino te ensene lo que es vivir pero hasta ahi
Me has llorado por un beso suplicando mis caricias
Asi yo te espero ver parada en la misma esquina mi china
The song "Lo Dudo" by Tommy Olivencia is sung from the perspective of someone who is watching their ex-lover move on with someone new. In the first verse, the singer urges their former partner to go and see the new person who is waiting for them, reassuring them that they are just friends. The singer admits that they can see their ex's nervousness and asks them if they feel the same way with the new person as they did with the singer.
However, the chorus expresses doubt about whether the new relationship will have the same depth and intensity as the previous one. The singer remembers how they used to feel "mesmerized in the air" and "flying on a white horse in a world". They remember how their ex used to cry tears of joy for a kiss, not out of fear, and doubts whether the new person can inspire the same feelings. The singer acknowledges that they taught their ex everything they know about love and life, but that it's now a thing of the past and they need to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Anda why ve, té esta esperando, anda why ve
Come on and go, he's waiting for you, come on and go
No lo hagas por mí, que a fin el cabo somos solo amigos
Don't do it for me, because at the end of the day we're just friends
Anda why ve, te veo nerviosa, anda why ve
Come on and go, I see you're nervous, come on and go
Why que sientes con él, lo que en su día tu sentías conmigo
And you feel with him what you felt with me back in the day
Pero lo dudo
But I doubt it
Conmigo té mesías en el aire
With me you felt like you were flying
Volabas en caballo blanco en mundo
You were flying on a white horse in a world
Why esas cosas no podrán volver
And those things can't come back
why es que lo dudo
That's why I doubt it
Porque hasta a veces me has llorado por un beso
Because sometimes you've cried to me for a kiss
Llorando de alegría why no de miedo
Crying from joy and not from fear
Why lo dudo té que te pase igual con él, igual con él
And that's why I doubt that the same thing will happen with him, the same with him
Anda why ve, entregale
Come on and go, give him
Todo el amor que un día mío fue
All the love that was once mine
Todo lo que te enseñe puedes gozarlo ha su lado
You can enjoy everything I taught you by his side
Pero no pienses en mi es un punto ya pasado why olvidado
But don't think about me, it's a point that's already in the past and forgotten
Yo no te prometi nada que no pudiera cumplir
I didn't promise you anything I couldn't fulfill
Te ensene lo que es carino te ensene lo que es vivir pero hasta ahi
I taught you what love is, I taught you what living is, but that's it
Me has llorado por un beso suplicando mis caricias
You've cried to me for a kiss, begging for my caresses
Asi yo te espero ver parada en la misma esquina mi china
So I hope to see you standing on the same corner, my darling
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Juan Carlos Rojas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind