Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and American influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montuno, with elements of mambo, Latin jazz, bomba, plena and guaracha. All of these elements are adapted to fit the basic son montuno template when performed within the context of salsa.
Los Chamos were a famous Venezuelan boy band formed in Caracas, Venezuela in 1981 to rival Menudo's success. Los Chamos were made up of six members and released their first album "Los Chamos-El Soldadito" sponsored by channel 8 of Venezuelan National TV.
Several styles of the traditional music of Venezuela, such as salsa and merengue, are common to its Caribbean neighbors. Perhaps the most typical Venezuelan music is joropo, a rural form which originated in the llanos, or plains.
Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner, better known as Ricardo Montaner, is an Argentine-born Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Since starting his career in the late 1970s, he has released more than 24 albums, and many successful singles. He has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
Pellín Rodríguez, was a Salsa singer. Rodríguez was a member of the musical group El Gran Combo and toured with them all over Latin America and Europe, gaining fame and popularity as a singer. In addition to his singing capabilities, Rodríguez had great comedic abilities and participated on comedy bits on various TV shows in Puerto Rico.
Guaco is a tropical music band from Venezuela that was formed in Maracaibo by Mario Viloria, Alfonso "Pompo" Aguado, and Fernando Domínguez in 1968. Viloria, the main founder, retired to focus on his college studies; he was the group's main composer for several years. His home was also the main place where practices were held in the group's early years. The name Guaco is attributed a bird named "Guaco" that would fly over Viloria's house every morning. The band began as a gaita zuliana group, and during the 70s diverged from the traditional way of playing the genre by integrating it with elements of salsa music, and adding in violins and electric guitars which were very unusual instruments to be included in a gaita band. Today, the Guaco rhythm continues to evolve through a complex mixture of gaita, salsa, pop music, jazz, funk and even rock and roll and vallenato rhythms, concocting a recognizable and unique style that is considered to be a hallmark of the tropical music genre.
Alberto Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] was a Venezuelan musician. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland. Largely self-taught, Naranjo embarked on a similar musical course, becoming – like his mother – one of Venezuela's icons of contemporary popular music.
RMM Records, also known as RMM Records & Video Corp, was an independent Latin music record label established in 1987 and based in New York City. The label was most active during the late 1980s and early 1990s and produced primarily salsa, Latin jazz, and merengue music. At its peak, RMM Records employed 55 staff members and had distribution deals in 42 cities around the world, occupying 9,000 square feet in two floors at its Soho headquarters. The label was established by Fania Records promoter Ralph Mercado, who had established RMM Management in 1972 as an artist management and booking agency, providing bookings for Latin artists Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Ray Barretto.
While the Dominican Republic is known for shaping merengue and bachata music, its musicians have also melded these influences into the early development of salsa music amongst the Latin community of New York City in the early 1960s. A major development in those initial days of salsa occurred when Johnny Pacheco, a Dominican-born musician living in New York City, teamed with partner Jerry Masucci to create Fania Records in 1964. They started selling records from the trunk of cars on the streets of Spanish Harlem, signing up young artists, creating new sounds, and eventually having hit records. Over the next 15 years, Fania Records helped define the sound, culture, and language associated with the salsa genre, a musical movement that arose partly from the unavailability in the United States of music produced in Cuba.
"La Cima del Cielo" is a song performed by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner. It was written by Montaner and co-written and produced by Pablo Manavello and released in late 1989 as the lead single from his third studio album Un Toque de Misterio (1989). The song became the first number-one single for the singer in the Billboard Top Latin Songs chart in January 1990.
Fernando Osorio is a singer-songwriter, born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised in Caracas, Venezuela.
Ricardo Montaner is the eponymous debut studio album recorded by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner. It was released by TH-Rodven in late 1986. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart.
Orquesta La Solución is a Puerto Rican trombone-based salsa band, founded by bassist Roberto Rivera in 1973.
Pablo Manavello was an Italian-born Venezuelan composer, guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Mau & Ricky is a Venezuelan Latin pop and reggaeton duo formed by singer-songwriter brothers Mauricio Alberto "Mau" Reglero Rodríguez and Ricardo Andrés "Ricky" Reglero Rodríguez, both sons of Argentine-Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner.
Jose Vazquez-Cofresi is an American conga drummer, bandleader, composer and producer of Puerto Rican & Italian ancestry. He is also called Manos de Hierro, literally translated ‘Iron Hands’, a name given to him by a salsa bass player. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he has played a wide variety of Latin music styles. The first composition by Vazquez-Cofresi that was featured in a movie is Sentencia, featured in the salsa movie The Big Shot Caller (2008). One of his most famous compositions is Aña Pa Mi Tambor, recorded by La Excelencia in 2009 that was featured on ZIN 33 for Zumba Fitness and So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Monday Night Football on NBC started using La Economia, another composition written by Vazquez-Cofresi for salsa dance touchdowns made by American Football star Victor Cruz while playing for the New York Giants. Vazquez-Cofresi has also been quoted and featured in various publications about the History of Salsa and his major impact in the salsa dura musical style and movement.
Harvey Averne has been described as "one of several prominent Jewish Americans in New York's bustling Latin music scene."
Oscar Joseph Llord is a Latin music entertainment executive, producer and businessman. He is the owner of We R 1 Music Group. Llord headed Sony Music Entertainment's Latin division from 1996 through 2003.
This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in Latin music in the 1980s, 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 1980 to 1989.
