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Adalberto Santiago | |
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 Santiago in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adalberto Santiago Berrios |
| Also known as | The Puerto Rican Elvis Presley, Mr. Dinamita |
| Born | April 23, 1937 Ciales, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Salsa |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | |
Adalberto Santiago (born April 23, 1937, in Pozas barrio, Ciales, Puerto Rico) [1] is an internationally known salsa singer.
Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are among the best in the salsa genre of Latin music. His early influences included the great Cuban vocalists Beny Moré and Miguelito Cuní. Santiago started his professional career singing with trios and playing guitar and bass. After stints with the bands of Chuíto Vélez, where he was called "The Puerto Rican Elvis Presley", Willie Rosario and Willie Rodriguez, his career reached new heights when he joined Ray Barretto's band. [2] Between 1966 and 1972, Adalberto made seven studio albums with Ray Barretto, [2] that contained hit songs like "Quitate La Mascara" and "Alma Con Alma". During this time period he also became an original founding member of the salsa "super-group" The Fania All-Stars. [2] In late 1972, Adalberto and four other members of Barretto's band departed to found Típica 73. [2] He appeared on three of their albums before disagreement over musical direction led him, and three other band members, to split during the mid-1970s to form Los Kimbos. [2] Santiago sang lead vocals on charanga albums, Fantasía Africana/African Fantasy and Our Heritage - Nuestra Herencia, by flautist, composer and producer Lou Pérez. [3]
Los Kimbos had a similar sound to both the pre-split Ray Barretto and Típica 73 outfits. [2] With Los Kimbos, Adalberto recorded Los Kimbos (1976) and The Big Kimbos With Adalberto Santiago (1977). [2] That year he also made his solo debut on Adalberto, which was produced by Barretto. [2] Los Kimbos continued under the leadership of Orestes Vilató. [2] Santiago sang lead on one track on Louie Ramírez y Sus Amigos by Louie Ramírez. [2] In 1979, Adalberto and Ramírez co-produced his solo follow-up, Adalberto Featuring Popeye El Marino. [2] The same year, he reunited with Barretto on Rican/Struction. [2] Barretto produced Adalberto's next solo album, Feliz Me Siento (1980). [2] Sonora Matancera member, Javier Vázquez, produced, arranged, directed and played piano on Adalberto Santiago, which was Adalberto's contribution to the early 1980s típico salsa revival. [2] In 1982, Santiago joined with Roberto Roena for Super Apollo 47:50. [2] Santiago then co-produced Calidad with Papo Lucca, who also played piano, and oversaw musical direction. [2] His Cosas Del Alma was an album of boleros which included his third recorded version of "Alma Con Alma" (which was previously contained on Barretto's The Message and Gracias ), [2] and featured arrangements made by Steve Sacks, Ray Santos and Alberto Naranjo, among others. He returned to Salsa Dura in 1985 on Más Sabroso. [2]
Adalberto did his own version of salsa romántica on Sex Symbol, with production, arrangements, musical direction and piano by Isidro Infante. [2] This album produced one of Santiago's biggest solo hit songs "La Noche Mas Linda Del Mundo". In 1990, he again performed "Alma Con Alma", this time arranged by Infante in a salsa romántica style for Louie Ramírez's second album entitled Louie Ramírez y Sus Amigos. [2]
Santiago has written songs for a number of the albums on which he has appeared, both as lead singer and solo artist, and provided compositions for other artists to record, such as Joe Cuba. He has appeared in Robin Williams's movie Moscow on the Hudson , and provided music for Al Pacino's Carlito's Way as well as appearing as himself in the film Our Latin Thing and the Academy Award winning documentary Summer Of Soul .
Adalberto, now in his 80s, continues to record and perform in the US, Europe, and South America. In 2022 he recorded a Trap / Reggaeton style song "Quitate" with noted rappers Jon Z. and Nengo Flow. His discography is at 100 and counting. He is celebrating more than 60+ years as a professional musician. He resides in his native Puerto Rico and in New York City. His nephews Johnny Rivera and Tony Vega are also notable salsa singers.
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Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette frequented by musicians in Havana, Cuba that Masucci frequented when he worked for a public relations firm there during the pre-Castro era. Fania is known for its promotion of salsa music.
Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Latin jazz. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of boogaloo and what would later be known as salsa. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the descarga, Barretto was a long-time member of the Fania All-Stars. His success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible". His last album for Fania Records, Soy dichoso, was released in 1990. He then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006.
Ismael Miranda, also known as El Niño Bonito de la Salsa is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter.
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Salvador "Sal" Cuevas was an American salsa bassist known for his association with the Fania All-Stars from 1978 to 1985. Although he also played the upright bass, he was one of the most popular electric bassists in the New York salsa scene, often playing in a funk style. "He was the first to bring the slaps and funk style that he learned from R&B, Funk, and Jazz music, into Salsa music."
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Larry Harlow Kahn was an American salsa music pianist, performer, composer, band leader and producer. He was born into a musical American family of Jewish descent.
Típica 73 was an American charanga and salsa band in the 1970s and early 1980s, that was formed by musicians from Ray Barretto's band. "Típica" refers to the typical configuration of a Cuban chararanga while "73" refers to the year that group was founded. Tipica 73 was the first American salsa band to record in Cuba and included Adalberto Santiago, Alfredo de la Fé, José Alberto "El Canario" and Panamanian singer Luis Argumedes Camilo Azuquita who performed in the album of 1977.
Jimmy Bosch, also known as "El Trombon Criollo", is a jazz and Salsa Music trombonist composer and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was raised in Hoboken, NJ and graduated from Hoboken High School in 1975.
Sonny Bravo, born Elio Osacar, is an Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin jazz pianist. He was once a very good baseball player with many prospects born in New York, New York, though due to an injury in 1956 he sought out a career in music. It was then he started performing with Many Campo, El Casino de Miami, José Fajardo and many others. He also recorded with Tito Puente and Bobby Paunetto.
John Rodríguez Jr., better known as Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez, is an American bongo player of Puerto Rican descent. He was the long-time bongosero for Tito Puente, and also played with Tito Rodríguez, Ray Barretto and Alfredo de la Fe. He belonged to several popular bands of the salsa era such as Tico All-Stars, Fania All-Stars and Típica 73.
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This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in Latin music in the 1970s, namely in Ibero-America. This includes recordings, festivals, award ceremonies, births and deaths of Latin music artists, and the advancement and adjournment of the genre from 1970 to 1979.
Luis Camilo Argumédez Berguido, known by his stage name Camilo Azuquita, was a Panamanian singer and composer. He was one of the key promoters of salsa music in Panama.
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Juan “Juancito” Torres Velez also known as "La Trompeta Nacional De Puerto Rico" was a Puerto Rican salsa and jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger, producer and musical director best known for his association with the Fania All-Stars from 1979 to 1985. He was known as a great soloist, specializing in upper register.
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