Tico Records | |
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Founded | 1948 |
Founder | George Goldner |
Tico Records was a New York City record label that was founded in 1948, and was known for 30 years as the "home of the recorded mambo". [1] It was originally owned by George Goldner and later acquired by Morris Levy and incorporated into Roulette Records. It specialized in Latin music and was significant for introducing artists such as Ismael Rivera, Ray Barretto and Tito Puente. In 1974, it was sold to Fania Records and stopped issuing new releases in 1981; however, the label's extensive catalog continues to be reissued under the Tico Records name.[ citation needed ]
Nightclub owner Goldner started Tico Records in the 1940s after realizing there was no record label dedicated to Latin ballroom dancing music. [1] In 2023, a compilation album, Hit The Bongo! The Latin Soul Of Tico Records, was released to celebrate the label's 75th anniversary. [1]
Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group modern jazz, even as he continued to perform music of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Boogaloo or bugalú is a genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly by stateside Puerto Ricans with African American music influences. The style was a fusion of popular African American rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music with mambo and son montuno, with songs in both English and Spanish. The American Bandstand television program introduced the dance and the music to the mainstream American audience. Pete Rodríguez's "I Like It like That" was a famous boogaloo song.
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. He is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for his work with Periphery and Monuments.
Gee Records was a New York–based American record label formed as a subsidiary to Gloria Gee George Goldner's Tico Records and Rama Records labels in 1953 to honor the million selling hit song "Gee" (1953). Sometime in 1955 Goldner sold 50% of Gee to Joe Kolsky who was a business partner of Morris Levy. Kolsky and Goldner then opened another label Roulette Records in 1957 with Levy as president. A few months later, Goldner sold his shares of Roulette, Rama, Gee, and Tico to the Morris Levy Combine. Goldner then proceeded that year to open two new companies Gone Records and End Records. Gee Records eventually became deactivated. When Gee Records was reactivated as a division of Roulette Records by president Morris Levy in early April 1961, The Cleftones' hit "Heart and Soul" (1961) became Gee Records first release.
Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Palmieri was a Puerto Rican bandleader and musical director of salsa music. He was known as the "Giant of the Keyboards".
Eddie Palmieri is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive.
Pablo Rodríguez Lozada, better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both moved to New York, where Tito worked as a percussionist in several popular rhumba ensembles, before directing his own group to great success during the 1950s. His most prolific years coincided with the peak of the mambo and cha-cha-cha dance craze. He also recorded boleros, sones, guarachas and pachangas.
George Goldner was an American record label owner, record producer and promoter who played an important role in establishing the popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, by recording and promoting many groups and records that appealed to young people across racial boundaries. Among the acts he discovered were the Crows, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.
Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, better known as La Lupe, was a Cuban singer of boleros, guarachas and Latin soul known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances. Following the release of her first album in 1961, La Lupe moved from Havana to New York and signed with Tico Records, which marked the beginning of a prolific and successful career in the 1960s and 1970s. She retired in the 1980s due to religious reasons.
William Correa, better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino music and was noted for his versatility as an authentic Latin percussionist as well as a jazz drummer easily moving stylistically from jazz, Latin and rhythm and blues music.
Ángel Santos Vega Colon, aka Santitos Colón, was a Puerto Rican bolero and mambo singer, born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico and raised in Mayagüez. He was also known by the moniker: "The Man with The Golden Voice".
"Oye Cómo Va" is a 1962 cha-cha-chá song by Tito Puente, originally released on El Rey Bravo. The song achieved worldwide popularity in 1970, when it was recorded by American rock group Santana for their album Abraxas. This version was released as a single in 1971, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Billboard Easy Listening survey, and number 32 on the R&B chart. The block chord ostinato pattern that repeats throughout the song was most likely borrowed by Puente from Cachao's 1957 mambo "Chanchullo", which was recorded by Puente in 1959.
Manny Oquendo was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. His main instruments were the timbales and the bongos.
The Lebrón Brothers are a musical family born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, New York. The brothers are Pablo, Pedro, Diego, Juan and Fernando. They provide the vocals and rhythm section of the band. Members of the original band were Gabe Gil - alto sax, Tito Ocasio - timbales, Héctor Lebrón - congas, Eddie DeCupe - trumpet, Elliot Rivera - vocals, Félix Rivera - trumpet. Frankie Lebrón later replaced Frankie Rodríguez who replaced his cousin Héctor Lebrón on congas.
Jimmy Sabater was an American musician of Puerto Rican ancestry. A three-time winner of the ACE Awards, he was a singer and timbales player. He gained international fame thanks to his work with the Joe Cuba Sextet in the 1960s and '70s, and later became the lead singer of various groups including Charlie Palmieri's Combo Gigante. His son, Jimmy Sabater Jr., is a trumpeter and bandleader.
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.
Ernest AnthonyPuente Jr., commonly known as TitoPuente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music.
El Rey is a 1984 Latin jazz album on the Concord Picante label by musician, band and orchestra leader, Tito Puente. Puente's move towards jazz came at the same time as Eddie Palmieri's albums. It includes performances by Tito Puente not only on timbales, but on vibraharp playing a medley of "Stella by Starlight" and "(Tu, Mi) Delirio", as well as "Autumn Leaves" and "Rainfall". There are also excellent, inventive, driving performances of two works by John Coltrane: "Giant Steps" and "Equinox", as well as Puente's own hit songs "Oye Como Va" and "Linda Chicana".
Al Castellanos was a Cuban bandleader of the 1940s and 1950s. He was one of the first three acts, with Tito Puente and Tito Rodríguez, to record for Tico Records in New York. In 1955 Castellanos signed a three-year deal with leading New York Latin label Mardi Gras Records and had his first big hit "The Speak-Up Mambo". Castellanos' orchestra was based around the La Playa Sextet.
Harvey Averne has been described as "one of several prominent Jewish Americans in New York's bustling Latin music scene."