{"id":7022,"date":"2017-04-12T09:04:06","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T13:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/?p=7022"},"modified":"2023-06-07T08:27:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T12:27:16","slug":"history-el-gran-combo-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/2017\/04\/12\/history-el-gran-combo-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"History of El Gran Combo: Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the story of one of the most illustrious musical ensembles in the history of Salsa music is not as simple as that. It has a lot of twists and turns, ups and downs, successes and failures. And to get El Gran Combo through all of this, they relied on their leader. One that unlike the leaders of most bands, did not decide to form a band and recruit his friends. Instead, he was selected as leader by his peers.<\/p>\n This event alone would shape the culture of the band. It could be argued to be one of the most important elements on the band’s continued success and longevity.<\/p>\n In this blog series, I’ll be sharing with you my knowledge on the history of the band that is called (perhaps self-proclaimed) the “University of Salsa”, per their 1983 album of that name. Recently, El Gran Combo celebrated 55 years of continued and active success in our Latin American songbook.<\/p>\n A good place to start is to give you a good framework of what was going on at the time. By 1962, Cortijo y Su Combo<\/a> had built a strong international reputation. Cortijo’s Combo was acclaimed everywhere in Latin America and by Latinos in the United States.<\/p>\n Rafael Cortijo had been a member of “El Combo” directed by Mario Roman. Cortijo took the helm of Roman’s “Combo” in 1955. Upon becoming bandleader, he immediately hired his longtime friend Ismael Rivera as lead singer. What is known today as Salsa music was still not conceived in the mid to late 50s or beginning of the 60s. However, it was just around the corner.<\/p>\nMusic Scene in 1962<\/h3>\n