Alfred D. Herger - Establishing Nueva Ola

Establishing Nueva Ola

Herger was the originator and leader of the Nueva Ola music revolution of the 1960s in Puerto Rico. He became very famous across Puerto Rico with his daily television shows, which lasted until the late 1970s. He helped the careers of many young singers of the time, such as, Chucho Avellanet, Lucecita Benítez, Sonia Noemí, Ednita Nazario, Lou Briel (Anexo 3), Zeny & Zory, Carmita Jiménez, The Night Walkers, and others. He was also responsible for bringing in to Puerto Rico various visiting artists, including Tony Croatto (with his sister Nelly) and "Luisito Rey", the father of Latin American pop sensation Luis Miguel, who was born in Puerto Rico and for whom Herger was his godfather.

Herger became a popular radio host during the mid- to late 1970s.

It was in the early 1970s that he befriended future Menudo creator Edgardo Díaz, who was working in Spain as manager of La Pandilla. Diaz contacted Herger about having La Pandilla go to Puerto Rico to make some recordings and be shown at Herger's show, and Herger accepted. Herger became such a large propulsor of that group in Puerto Rico that he garnered the nickname The biggest Pandillero becoming their agent and producing a series of sold-out concerts in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He also created a TV series with them and filmed two movies: "Operacion Alacran" and "La Pandilla en Apuros".

Later on in 1980, Herger produced and hosted a game show, La Pirámide, complete with an Egyptian-themed set and imagery, tons of bad pyramid puns and jokes in the program's scripts, and his entire family involved in the show. Herger's oldest son Alfredo and daughter Grace Marie went on to be successful teen show hosts in Puerto Rico, more notably with WAPA-TV's show Party Time. They were both renowned for their stunning good looks, which allowed Grace Marie to become a part-time model and Alfredo to attempt luck as a solo singer.