b. Oscar Emilio León, 11 July 1943, Antímano, Caracas, Venezuela. Charismatic singer and bass player D'León is one of the few contemporary salsa musicians to capitalize on the strengths of 40s and 50s Cuban big band arrangers, yet recognizably with a…

New York City-born percussionist Tito Puente infused his big-band music with the mambo sound he helped to popularize in the US. He started out playing with the likes of Noro Morales and Machito before starting his own band in the late 1940s. Known as…

Universally acknowledged as the "Queen of Salsa," Cuban exile Celia Cruz infused her impassioned, Spanish-language songs with nostalgia for the natural beauty of her homeland, and was often influenced by the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion. Cruz's more …

b. 1957, Dominican Republic. The multi-talented Guerra began the 90s as the hottest property in the international Latin market with a brand of solid pop dubbed "World Latin Music' by former Billboard Latin music columnist Carlos Agudelo. The son of a…

b. 21 August 1950, Puerto Rico. Since the mid-80s, the mainstream salsa recording industry in Puerto Rico and the USA has been largely preoccupied with developing and marketing the images of "good looking" young male vocalists, rather than producing …

In May 1962, under the leadership of pianist/arranger/composer Rafael Ithier, members of Rafael Cortijo's Combo deserted to become the 11-piece El Gran Combo (EGC). The defectors were Rogelio "Kito" Vélez (d. 1990; trumpet and arrangements); Eddie Pé…