Roberto Roena

Roberto Roena (born on January 16, 1940 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) was one of the original members of a Puerto Rican salsa music orchestra called El Gran Combo. The group's name had been derived from the name of an existing band named "El Combo" in which many of the original band members had been involved. (1980s)Roena, aside from being a percussionist, was a dancer and baseball player. In 1969, he went on to form one of the best Latin salsa bands in Puerto Rico called "Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound" that recorded such hits, as "Y Tu Loco Loco", "Traicion", "Que Se Sepa" and "Herencia Rumbero". Also, Roena has been a long-time member of the Fania All Stars, a salsa group that has enjoyed worldwide success since the 1970s. He recorded his signature song, "Coro Miyare", with the group; live performances of the song featured Roena playing the bongos and dancing with his uncle, legendary salsa dancer Aníbal Vázquez, in a choreographed section that almost always received standing ovations from the audience.

Mr. Roena took a giant step in the fusion of salsa in the 1970s by joining forces with African superstar Manu Dibango of "Soul Makossa" fame.

ee also

*List of famous Puerto Ricans

External links

* [http://www.salsaclasica.com/robertoroena Biography, Discography, Photos, Lyrics (SalsaClasica.com)]
* [http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/en/roberto_roena.html Music of Puerto Rico]
* [http://pedia.nodeworks.com/R/RO/ROB/Roberto_Roena Roberto Roena]