Bandleader Johnny Colon held the audience in rapt attention for over two hours. He painted a vivid picture of his early years: growing up on East 106th Street, the various boundaries of his neighborhood, his grandmother, and his gradual awakening to not only music, but the cultural and political realities of his time. Colon’s story was so entrancing that he barely reached the point in his life story when his first hit recording, Boogaloo Blues took the music world by storm. JMIH looks forward to a second session with Mr. Colon as it does with many of its other honorees.