El Gran Combo

El Gran Combo of Puerto Rico is a musical formation of Salsa which is constituted after the dissolution of the Combo of Rafael Cortijo in 1962.

This group is named " El Gran Combo" by the business manager Rafael Alvarez Guedes, which contributed to the production of the album " Menéame los mangos". The members of the group include Rafaél Ithier, Eddie Pérez, Héctor Santos, Kito Vélez, Martín Quiñones, Miguel Cruz and Roberto Roena and the Dominican artist Josíto Mateo.

Their first public intervention take place with the " Club" rock'n'roll; with Bayamó (Puerto Rico). Their appearances with the radio and on television confirm the discovery of this musical formation.

The singer Chiqui Rivera leaves the group and is replaced by Junior Montañez, noticed for his vocal performance during a radio program where he had sung a song of Bobby Capó. Little time after, it was made call Andy Montañez. Roberto Roena joined the group and remains to him faithful during the seven following years, until it formed its own group, Apollo Sound.

The first album of the " group; Acángana" leaves in 1963, only two days before the assassination of the President of the United States John F. Kennedy. After this event, the distribution of the album in Puerto Rico was suspended, but the album is distributed to Mexico, Panama and the Venezuela where the album is widely diffused. The album is then distributed to New York then in Puerto Rico, where it becomes Disque of gold.

The group obtains a great success in concerts in dance halls latinos everywhere in New York such as Ballroom Palladium, in the center of Manhattan and El Caborrojeño, the year after the exit of this first album.

This success cleared the way with similar performances in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Colombia and the Venezuela. In all the Latin America, the album is classified charts at the head.

This popularity makes it possible the group to gain an exclusive contract with Porto Rican television on " El Show of mow 12". Popularity following of the spectacle on TV increased the request of the group in all the kinds of dances and of the events of music and pushed the sales of their album even higher.

The survival of the group is put to the test two years later with the departure and the replacement of several of its members. Roberto Roena and Elías Lopés are replaced by Serrano Edwin the Cortes. Héctor Santos and Víctor Pérez left also and are replaced of Jose Duchesne and Mike Torres, replaced later by Tommy Sánchez. Later, Edwin the Cortes left and was replaced of Gerardo Cruz, which remained with the group during the ten annéess following. In spite of these changes, the group thrived and obtains the price Agueybaná de Oro in Puerto Rico, as a better group in 1969.

The following decade started with even more changes with the replacement of Milton Correa by Miguel Marrero. Mike Ramos was able to replace Mike Torres and was replaced thereafter by Alfredo (Taty) Maldonado.

The group knows an international glory.

The problems with labels discographics led the group to produce their albums as independent artists, forcing one of the members to mortgage his house to finance the loads related to the production. That led to the creation of their own label: EGC and its first production: the album " El Momo d' Oro".

In 1971, the Trombone, played by Epifanio (Fanny Ceballo), made its appearance in the group.

Fanny Ceballo remained with the group until its death of the Cancer in 1991.

The first album showing this new sound was Of punta in punta which included traditional hits such as " Gift Goyo" , " Achilipú" and " The dicen papá".

The album gained the price of the best album to the Festival of the Disque of gold of Miami.

Little time after, Pellín Rodríguez leaves the group and starts a career solo, it is replaced by Marcos Montañez, the brother of Andy Montañez, which worked with the group for only six months, itself replaced by the sonero virtuoso: Charlie Lands.

In 1975, Miguel Cruz, one of the founding members of the group, resign the group for health reasons and are replaced by Fernando Pérez.

The following year the group was rewarded at the Orleans News and obtained the presidential reward of Venezuela of best orchestrates music international in 1977.

But this year also saw the departure with the retirement of Martin Quiñones and the departure of Andy Montañez, which left to sing with the group Venezuelan Dimensión Latina.

Remplacer Andy was difficult, Jerry Rivas made proof sufficient talents to do it.

The exit of the Disc of gold " El Gran Combo in Las Vegas " in 1978 alleviated fears of those which worried about the changes of the members of the group At the end of the years 1970, the orchestra gained other rewards, of which that of the Porto Rican Institute of the Culture.

In the years 1980 left another album disc gold: " Aquí No sienta nadie" follow-up of a round in Peru, crowned success. The following year they penetrated the market Mexican and obtained the reward Silver Caldendar Award.

For their 20th birthday, the group received several local and international rewards, such as " El Congo d' Oro" in Colombia, that of the Senate of Puerto Rico and another of the town of Dorado and the Paoli Price. Two years later they visited the Alaska, bringing its heat of the salsa to this snow-covered climate and produces the album " Breaking the Ice - El Gran Combo in Alaska" who was nominated for a Grammy. This year the orchestra still gained the Paoli Price. Their success was at this really international time: The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Japan, the United States and elsewhere in the whole world.

In 1982, they triumphantly celebrated to them 25e birthday with the Madison Square Garden of New York, for a historical concert. The event was followed soon by even more rewards such as " El Guayaquil Luminoso" from Ecuador, the " Premio Aplausos" better group, the House of Commons of Puerto Rico and another of the towns of Bayamón and Juncos.

Five years later, for their 30e birthday, of the similar special events were planned to celebrate the occasion. Celebrations took place in Madrid where the spectators and the press have were extasiés. Of return to Puerto Rico, the Senate their allotted a resolution proclaiming the " group; Ambassador S of Our Musique". The ultimate stage of this celebration was a concert in the stage of Hiram Bithorn de San Juan before 30 000 fans, joined by Andy Montañez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Jerry Will rivet, Alex Of Castro, Johnny Ventura and Sonora Ponceña.

Among their successes

No Hay cama pa' tanta gente, Brujeria, El Menú, Timbalero (Para los rumberos, 79), Muerte, Aguacero (salsa vieja)

Artists paid homage to Gran Combo:

Grupo Scale: Homenaje Al Gran Combo in 2001,
Prodigio Claudio: Semi Homenaje Al Gran Combo

Internal bonds

External bonds

Biography on BuscaSalsa.com
Discography partial on the site of their own label: ComboRecords.com

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