The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music
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Their songs have made millions of fans around the world dance, laugh and even shed a few tears – the words and rhythms of these Latin American singers have reached all four corners of the globe, paving the way for a new generation of artists to thrive. We introduce you to the seminal singers and songwriters of Latin music from the past century, whose influences were so tremendous and whose rhythms were so unforgettable that they have become true musical legends. It’s time to turn up the volume! [Photo: Xavier Badosa/Flickr]

By Jenny Aguirre

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Tito Puente – Born in 1920s New York to Puerto Rican parents, this giant of Latin jazz and salsa has been called the “King of the Timbales” for his extraordinary talent as a percussionist. His spectacular arrangements and presentations lent more importance to percussion in Latin dance and helped spread “mambo fever” in the ‘50s, with Puente usually playing timbales in front of an accompanying band. Across his 50-year career, he recorded more than 100 albums and won five Grammys for his songs, among them the enduring classic “Oye Como va”. Genres such as chachachá, mambo, pachanga and salsa reached a new heights thanks to his work, making him an influential figure for generations of percussionists and musical directors to come.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Juan Gabriel – Growing up in Mexico in the 1950s, the “Divo de Juárez” (as he was known in the artistic world) had a difficult childhood marked by abandonment, poverty and loneliness, music being his only refuge and hope for a better future. His career had a rocky beginning, with many failed trips to the Mexican capital to try for record deals, but his persistence paid off when he signed with RCA Records. A career full of breakout successes was launched, giving rise to such hits as “Amor eterno”, “Querida”, “Hasta que te conocí” and “Abrázame muy fuerte”, and earning Gabriel a place among the most beloved artists in Latin America. He sang and performed right up until the end, when he died of a heart attack while on tour in 2016, leaving a legacy of over 1,500 songs, as well as notable contributions to ranchera music, bolero and Latin ballad, among other genres. Likewise, he influenced mariachi music with lyrics and costumes that transcended the “macho” stereotypes that characterised other artists of his time.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Celia Cruz – Recognised for her charisma and vivacity, as well as her powerful voice, the “Queen of Salsa” inspired the world with her unique rhythm. Across her 50-year career, the Cuban-born songstress sealed her reputation as the most important Latin female performer of the 20th century, and one of the most celebrated voices in the history of music, becoming a symbol of Latin culture around the world. She began her career singing in cabarets in the ‘40s, until she became the main vocalist of the famous La Sonora Matancera band in 1950. Following the Cuban Revolution, she went into exile in the United States, first joining the Fania All-Stars group and then pursuing a fruitful solo career. She would go on to record nearly 70 albums and receive five Grammys, with songs like “Quimbara”, “La vida es un carnaval”, “Te busco” and “Burundanga” lifting her to stardom and breaking paradigms for female singers of the day.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Carlos Gardel – Registered as a UNESCO “Memory of the World” in 2003, the voice of Carlos Gardel is an icon of Argentine tango and music. A composer, performer and actor with innumerable songs and musicals to his name, the “Zorzal criollo”, as he was known, began his career in a duet ensemble with Uruguayan singer José Razzano; together they became the first tango performers with “Mi noche triste”. Even greater success would come in the 1930s, in the form of an acting gig with Paramount studios and its conquest of the US market. Gardel made more than 800 recordings and 11 films in his career, among which “Mi Buenos Aires querido”, “Volver” and “El día que me quieras” remain stand-out favourites. An emblematic character in life, Gardel’s untimely death at age 44 in an airplane crash only strengthened the legend surrounding his music.

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Benny Moré – Highly expressive, and possessing an innate musical sensibility and fluid tenor voice, Benny Moré is one of the most important Cuban singers of all time. Known as the “Bárbaro del ritmo” (“Barbarian of Rhythm”), Moré was a master of all genres of Cuban music, but he particularly excelled in son montuno, mambo, guaracha and bolero. Born in 1919 as the eldest of 18 siblings, his talent shone through early when he began playing the guitar and composing songs as a child. As a young adult, he lived hand-to-mouth selling produce and singing in bars in Havana, until he got his big break as the winner of a radio contest. He would go on to join the popular Matamoros Trio and achieve considerable recognition, but it was alongside the great pianist Damaso Perez Prado that he reached the pinnacle of his success. Among his repertoire are “Bonito y sabroso”, “Que bueno baila usted” and “Cómo fue”.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Selena – Born in Texas in 1971, Selena Quintanilla would become Tejano music’s biggest star – thus the nickname “La Reina del Tex-Mex” – in addition to being recognised by Billboard magazine as “the most influential Latin artist of the ‘90s”. Her father discovered her powerful voice as a child, steering her towards a career in music early on. In 1989, she signed with EMI Latin and began the conquest of the Latin market. Her songs “Como la flor”, “Amor prohibido” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” would reach the top of the music charts and earn her a Grammy. Sadly, she was at the height of her fame, and preparing her first album in English, when she was tragically shot to death by a friend and former manager at age 23. Her influential music and style would live on; cosmetics brand MAC even launched a Selena tribute collection in 2016, achieving record sales.

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José Alfredo Jiménez – “Si nos dejan”, “Te solté la rienda”, “El Rey” and “Media Vuelta” are just a few of the classic songs by this Mexican singer-songwriter and icon of mariachi music in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Despite lacking formal musical training, and having only completed primary school, Jiménez began composing songs at the tender age of 14, but would enjoy his first successes singing on the radio with the Los Rebeldes trio, followed by the band Andrés Huesca y Sus Costeños’ recording of the song “Yo”. His compositions enjoyed enormous popularity, thanks to the beauty and simplicity of his lyrics that reflected the love, disappointment and nostalgia of the people – compositions that ranchera artists like Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante vied to include in their repertoires.

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Carmen Miranda – Few figures are as iconic in the world of music and cinema as the “Brazilian Bombshell”. Singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star, Miranda was known for her striking attire and extravagant fruit-filled headdresses, as well as her style of dancing – quite sensual for her time. Miranda rose to fame in Brazil with her record-breaking release of “Pra Voce Gostar De Mim (Ta-hi!)” in 1930. Discovered by a show business mogul, she would appear on Broadway in 1939 before launching a film career and becoming one of the most sought-after actresses in the US, and the first Latina with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miranda was considered a forerunner of tropicalism, a movement popularised in Brazil during the 1960s, as well as an exporter of South American musical culture to the international scene.

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Joe Arroyo – Known as “El Joe” or “Centurión de la noche”, this Colombian singer and composer is considered one of the greatest salsa and música tropical (Spanish-speaking Caribbean music) performers of all time. He began his career rather young, singing in bars in Cartagena and Barranquilla, but his time would come when he joined the salsa group Fruko y sus Tesos, with whom he would create successes such as “Tania”, “El caminante” and “El preso”, becoming dance favourites across the continent. Later, Arroyo would perform with bands like The Latin Brothers and Sonora Guantanamera, until he founded his own band, La Verdad, in 1981. In 1986, he released his most emblematic song, “La Rebelión”, narrating the story of African slaves in Cartagena. Joe experimented with diverse Caribbean rhythms like porro, cumbia and socca, finally creating a fusion of his own called “Joesón”.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Soda Stereo – This famous Argentine rock band, formed by Gustavo Cerati (guitar, voice), Zeta Bosio (bass) and Charly Alberti (drums) in Buenos Aires in 1982, numbers among the most important Latin American bands of all time, having made an incalculable contribution to the evolution of rock in Spanish with a discography spanning new wave, ska, pop, shoegaze, progressive rock and electronic music. Inspired by bands like The Police and The Cure, the group managed to take their music beyond borders and across the Americas, animating millions of young people with songs like “De música ligera”, “Persiana Americana” and “En la ciudad de la furia”, which became epic anthems in Latin rock. In 2002, the band received the Legend Award from MTV Latin America.

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The Top 12 Legends Of Latin American Music.
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Roberto Carlos – Leader of the “Jovem Guardia” (“Young Guard”), a musical movement of the 1960s influenced by the music of The Beatles, Roberto Carlos is one of the most renowned icons of Brazilian music in the world. Thanks to his soft, melancholic and romantic voice, he triumphed in the Brazilian pop world with a career spanning 4 decades, and has achieved record album sales all over the world. Numbering among his hits are “Jesucristo”, “Namoradinha de um amigo meu”, “Eu daria minha vida”, “Detalles”, “Un millón de amigos”, “Amigo” and “Mi querido, mi viejo, mi amigo”. In 2015, the Latin Recording Academy (Latin Grammys) named him “Personality of the Year”.

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Carlos Santana – The hugely popular Mexican guitarist and leader of the band Santana is an iconic figure of Latin rock, and has been recognised by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 20 best guitarists of all time. Together with his band, formed in San Francisco in the ‘70s, they pioneered the fusion of Latin rhythms and rock music. Through the combination of his masterful guitar stylings, the talent of his band and a breakthrough 1960 performance at Woodstock, Santana would enjoy enormous success. His fame languished a bit in the ‘80s as he experimented with various styles, until making an unexpected and triumphant return with the album Supernatural in 1999. With contributions from artists such as Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, the sound of his guitar fused with popular modern rhythms, bringing the band to a new generation of fans around the world and winning nine Grammy Awards.

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