Musicians
1. Pablo Casals (1876–1973)
Spanish-born Casals began playing musical instruments at the age of four. He made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1904 and thereafter built a reputation as the world’s premier cellist. He settled in Puerto Rico in 1956, where he later established the annual Casals Festival.
2. Santos Colon (1922–98)
This salsa singer, also known as “Santito,” produced many popular albums. He also performed with Tito Puente’s orchestra, with whom he contributed the easily recognizable “Aha! Aha!” in the original version of the song Oye Como Va. Colón is best known for his haunting bolero songs and Spanish interpretations of English-language classics.
3. Tito Puente (1923–2000)
Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Ernesto Antonio Puente studied at the Julliard School of Music after serving in the US Navy during World War II. He helped popularize mambo, and later, salsa, and earned the nickname “King of Latin Music” for his sensuous, fast-paced mambo and Latin-jazz compositions. He won five Grammy Awards.
4. Jose Feliciano (b. 1945)
Feliciano, a blind guitarist from Lares, began performing professionally at 17. He had huge hits with bolero and folk-pop-soul albums, and in 1969 won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist of the Year and for Best Pop Song of the Year. His most famous album is Felíz Navidad.
5. Jennifer Lopez (b. 1969)
This multi-talented entertainer, nicknamed J.Lo, enjoys great success as a singer, song-writer, and actress. She has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and has her own perfume brand and fashion line. She married Marc Anthony in 2004, but the couple divorced in 2011.
6. Marc Anthony (b. 1968)
A singer-songwriter and actor, Marc Anthony has cross-over success in both English and Spanish markets for his salsa and Latin-pop renditions. He started as a back-up singer and released his first album in 1993.
7. Ricky Martin (b. 1971)
Born Enrique Martín Morales, this Latin pop singer rose to fame as a member of the boy band Menudo. Since going solo in 1991, he has had more than 20 top-ten singles.
8. Tito Rodriguez (1923–73)
Rodríguez, a singer-songwriter born in Santurce, formed his own band in the 1940s, studied at the Julliard School in New York, and later earned the nickname “El Inolvidable” (The Unforgettable) for his version of a Cuban song with that name. His mambo renditions were huge successes in the 1950s.
9. Maxwell (b. 1973)
This R & B artist, christened Gerard Maxwell Menard, rose to fame playing the New York club scene. His single, Fortunate, was the top-selling US R & B song of 1999. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.
10. Tony Orlando (b. 1944)
Raised in New York by a Puerto Rican mother and Greek father, Orlando formed the band Dawn, known for such 1970s hits as Knock Three Times. He later hosted television’s first multi-ethnic variety show.
