Here is the original of this love letter to my favorite country in the world, written by the great Postman Poet of Puerto Rico, Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso:
The song appears on the same LP with “Panameña”, which highlights how important and receptive those Salsa capitals – then in full bloom – were to Nuyorican Salsa as it was created.
Here’s a version you may not be familiar with, and it’s smoking hot – by the underrated Boricua bandleader Johnny “El Bravo” Lopez, who was a semi-pro baseball player that made the move to musician. His version (mine is a Nicaraguan press. Lord how this music got around) is called “Pa’ Colombia Entera” and features vocals by Toño Lopez and Junior Cordova:
Told you. Finally, here’s another gorgeous take on a rare 45 by Panama’s supergroup Los Exciters on the Loyola label. The exciters slow the song down even more, making for a swinging slow and slinky montuno, with those inimitable Exciters horns:
Disfruten!