At the Perth Amboy Library’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration on October 7, 2023, Manny Pacheco’s family award Perth Amboy Councilman Bienvenido (BJ) Torres the Manny Pacheco Award in Arts and Service. Manny Pacheco was a well know Salsa artist and public servant, and his family created the award to honor him and promote his values by recognizing others who share his artistic merit and commitment to public service.

Of key importance to the family was that the candidate be an advocate for the arts and an active participant in the community. Also the award should go to those with the greatest contribution to the arts such as performances, recordings, creations and abilities.

Manny Pacheco was a recording artist who sang and played many instruments and he had his own recording studio and worked with many artists. He was also an active public servant, volunteering in the community. He recorded the Clean Up jingle used in schools for the Keep Perth Amboy Clean Initiative. He taught youth music lessons in guitar, drums, piano and singing in the Perth Amboy Gallery and at his home studio. He would perform in city events and parrandas. As his family said “Manny lived and breathed music.”

Virginia Morales spoke at the awards ceremony and said that Manny Pacheco and BJ Torres had similarities, that both had not been from Perth Amboy but both adopted it as their home and loved their community and performed there and served there. Both had purchased guitars at a young age with money they earned and taught themselves and became passionate about music.

Councilman BJ Torres has served as the President of the Perth Amboy Arts Council and has produced the Live at the Ferry Slip Music Series for years, giving local musicians opportunities to perform in Perth Amboy. He has performed in Perth Amboy many times with his bands and played with the band Segunda Quimbamba for many years which teaches Puerto Rican culture through music and dance. He has played nationally and internationally in 5 bands and has many recordings and has written many songs and plays guitar and bass and sings. He helped to organize a city parranda and worked for years as a member of the Perth Amboy Creative Placemaking Team. He served as a Democratic Committeeman, and as a Perth Amboy Civic Trustee and organized the Waterfront Neighborhood Association.

In his award speech, Councilman BJ Torres said “I am honored to receive this Award. Manny Pacheco is a guiding light, a beacon of humanity that I can only aspire to be. He was a man of faith, and gave us his gift of music. Everything we make, we are making as an offering to God. His love of music is inspiring and created community. Music is a healer; it is here to comfort us in difficult times and here to celebrate good times. Music exposed me to a wider world, and let me know that we have no boundaries. And music of the Island, the Aguinaldo, Bomba y Plena kept me grounded with a sense of identity and a love of culture. Thank you.”

The family is raising money to purchase a bench to honor Manny Pacheco. They are selling T-Shirts and You can give to the gofundme campaign.