El Gran Combo

Casa Amadeo is a piece of Latino music history as the oldest Latino music store in New York City. Actually, it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The owner is Puerto Rican Mike Amadeo. You might have heard his name in…

The Salsa music boom in popularity took place in the late 1960s into the early 1970s. The Latin music from urban New York had taken shape. This music combined Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazzy brass and a contemporary urban storyline.…

As the craze for Salsa Romántica grew to its climax in the 1990s, the number and impact of recordings by El Gran Combo, diminished. However, despite their struggles with their recordings, El Gran Combo found a way to remain relevant in…

The '80s was a decade of stability and success for El Gran Combo, as they kept their singers and released consistently good Salsa albums. However, towards the end of the decade, Rafael Ithier had to seek some outside help to deal with…

El Gran Combo of the early '70s is very different than that of the '60s, and by the late 70s it would look totally different again. However, they kept going as if nothing had happened and exited the 70's a stronger combo. New Decade, New…

Repeating something is not art. Adding your own twist to something, is creating art. I like each of these versions of the Bolero "A Mi Manera" (My Way) by El Gran Combo, the Puerto Rico All Stars, and Jerry Medina because each has its own…

The '60s saw El Gran Combo go through a rocky startup, develop their own musical identity, achieve success, see their demand decline due to over-exposure, and manage the departure of several key members. Yet, at the end of the decade, they…

It all began on May 26, 1962, when musicians defecting the troubled Combo of timbalero-bandleader Rafael Cortijo decided to form a new band, a new "combo", which they would name El Gran Combo. But the story of one of the most illustrious…

New singer Anthony Garcia is featured in El Gran Combo's new song "Yo Soy Tu Amigo", which showcases the softer Salsa of the legendary band. Salsa fans had mixed reactions to "Yo Soy Tu Amigo". Many fans behind Anthony Garcia, wishing…