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Life and biography

Bobby Cruz is one of those names that definitely does not require much introduction. This tremendous songwriter and Christian pastor has made a dream career in which he has earned all sorts of awards and recognition that demonstrate his value as an artist, including gold records, Grammys, platinum records, among other world-class awards.   

Roberto Cruz Ramos was born on 26 February 26 1937 in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico. He grew up in a very humble family that was dedicated to farm activities for a living. His father was one of those many workers in the town who gathered sugar cane from the fields intended for growing that product and became a labour leader who was highly respected by his co-workers and locals. When the family moved to New York City, USA, he entered school, discovered his passion for music and began to be heavily influenced by performers and groups such as the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which he considered a source of inspiration. 

In 1963, he met the man who would become his great musical running mate and with whom he would get many of the most important hits of his career. This was Ricardo Maldonado Morales, artistically known as Richie Ray, who was his neighbor and with whom he gave life to the orquesta de Richie Ray y Bobby Cruz. Even today, this is still considered to be one of the most important groups in the history of salsa, so no one can talk about this genre without mentioning both stars as compulsory references for anyone who wishes to study salsa in depth.   

Together with Ray, he reaped unimagined success and won many awards, one of the most important being first place in the Orchestras Festival thanks to the song La Zafra, which conquered the public and the jury by its heartfelt lyrics which referred to the daily struggle of the workers in the sugar cane fields and their experiences. If we take into account the fact that the father of Bobby was a sugarcane worker and someone respected in his trade, this song acquires a far stronger meaning for anyone who has had the fortune of hearing it. 

Within the year, more specifically in 1974, Bobby became an evangelical pastor after Ray invited him to attend the same evangelical church of which he formed part. He did not much like the idea at first, but then changed his mind and became a faithful servant of Jesus, as he defines himself. 

That was how he started a very interesting facet in both his life and his artistic career. In a way, Cruz succeeded in mixing his passion for music with his new religious beliefs. This is how Bobby and Ray began to use a religious approach to their musical works, a decision that unfortunately led to the loss of a large number of their followers. However, that did not stop them and they went on to regain the confidence of their fans and members of their church, who were not very happy with the idea at first. 

Current projects 

Currently, Bobby Cruz is involved in a host of projects that takes up a lot of his time. One of them is the launch of his new book entitled Hubo Una vez un niño, the pages of which tell the story of a group of young inmates and their experiences in prison. The artist used stories he heard during his visits to prisons in Puerto Rico and other countries as part of his work as an evangelical pastor. In those prisons, he discovered stories about boys born into good families and healthy homes, but that did not stop them from ending up in prison for many reasons. 

The fact that many of these boys were sons of pastors really touched him and made him wonder what had led these boys to commit acts so reprehensible having grown up in Christian homes. Moreover, there were many criminals who wanted to join the church and redeem themselves after having broken the law at that time. All of these things inspired Bobby in such a way that he wanted to create a story where he could reflect all of these elements that bothered him. It is now available on Amazon and many other platforms through which those interested can purchase it. 

As additional data, the Puerto Rican let it be known that he is already working on the television version of the book, which will consist of 10 or 12 chapters in total.   

One of the projects that Cruz has in mind is the launch of a film based on the trajectory of the singer with his orchestra fellow Richie Ray. It will be titled Richie Ray y Bobby Cruz, los reyes de la salsa and is expected to be the closest thing to the reality lived by the duo in years of greatest splendor. Although people of any age can enjoy it, it is known that it will be focused on the public that enjoyed their talent in the 70s and the actors are immensely similar to the performers in the time.   

Among other details, it has been revealed that the film is already made and is in the process of being edited for release this year. It is just not clear the name of the platform that will be used to broadcast it, since the artists are waiting for the most attractive proposal possible. It was rumored that there were talks with Netflix to be the streaming service charged with broadcasting the film, but nothing has been confirmed officially.   

Official Facebook page: Bobby Cruz

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa Magazine in New York City, New York

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How boogaloo was born

Throughout history, music has undergone a series of transformations that have led it to become what we know today, which means that this set of artistic expressions is the product of an ongoing process that does not stop and will never stop. These changes are deeply and closely linked to the rhythms originating from a certain place and their mix with those of other latitudes. In the specific case of Latin music, this process was accelerated with the arrival of a large number of immigrants to the United States of America. That is how so-called boogaloo was born.   

Boogaloo is a powerful combination of son montuno with American rock and soul, although there are many who claim that mambo played a much greater role than son. Its origins are not entirely clear, but one of the most talked versions asserts that the emergence of a generation of musicians who had no academic training or experience in the industry were the ones who started this impetuous and scandalous trend that had no reverse.   

Likewise, it is believed that everything starts in New York with a then small group of artists who were inspired by the rock style of the time, but the one who really popularized Boogaloo around the world was singer Pete Rodriguez. Of course, We cannot fail to mention the important role played by pianist Richie Ray and La Lupe, also known as the queen of Latin soul. 

How boogaloo revolutionized music at that time

Just as boogaloo came to revolutionize the sounds, it also did it with the topics addressed in most of the music of the time. 

Generations raised in the United States that did not feel identified with the Beatles or the Rolling Stones found in this set of rhythms an identity to cling onto in order to combat the hottest at the moment. This rising genre began to address issues related to the social and economic situation of the most disadvantaged sectors. In any part of the world these songs were heard, local people knew what was going on, or at least from the perspective of the artists who lent their voices to give life to these new creations. 

A very appealing characteristic of boogaloo songs is that they could be performed in both English and Spanish, so in a way, it gave the genre an essence merged with Latin and Anglo-Saxon elements that was fairly new at that time.   

It went on to become some kind of social movement that intended to fill a gap that could not be filled by mistakenly called gringo music. Many of its defenders thought it was destined for greatness and durability, but unfortunately, it did not happen. In fact, the peak years of the rhythm went from 1965 to 1969, to show that it did not go beyond being a passing fad after an enthusiastic start. 

It was quickly replaced by other catchier genres and dances that quickly sank in the taste of young and old alike, leaving behind what could have been the greatest musical legacy that Latinos have contributed to the outside world. Other sounds arrived, crept over the music scene slowly but surely, and left out boogaloo. 

However, we must clarify that while this genre was no longer relevant as at the beginning, there is no getting around the fact that it was this movement that gave rise to a lot of legendary songs that today are still analyzed and commented on by those who danced and sang them at the time. Not to mention that this and several other rhythms that followed were the transition that salsa needed to explode as did at the peak of its popularity.  

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On July 20, 1969 the orchestra “El Apollo Sound” of the great Puerto Rican musician Roberto Roena was born. Together with trumpeter Elías Lopés he founded “El Apollo Sound”.

This name comes from the first rehearsal of his group, which coincided with the day of the launching of the Apollo rocket to the moon.

Roberto Roena recorded 10 albums in nine years for the Sello Internacional, part of the Fania label, and although he was not a great student of music, he was able to surround himself with very good musicians and use his talent to form his own group, which is now in its fiftieth year.

It is indisputable that the most popular orchestra in Puerto Rico and South America during the 70s was Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound.

“Lucky 7” was his seventh release in front of Apollo with the Fania International label, after his discreet debut as leader with Los Megatones and after a fruitful career as bongocero of Rafael Cortijo’s Combo and Rafael Ithier’s El Gran Combo.

With “Lucky 7” Roena consolidated his popularity on a continental level thanks to the arrangement of an innovative song that challenged the schemes of the overwhelming salsa sound institutionalized in New York during the decade: “Mi desengaño”, by Julio Merced and Pucho Soufront.

In 1976 the Apollo and its new singer Papo Sánchez, pride of Hatillo, climbed the charts with a nostalgic lyric inspired by unrequited love. In his arrangement, trombonist Merced himself incorporated the cadence of the samba, linked through its bars with a son covered with the nuances of bossa nova, jazz and bomba.

The hit “Mi desengaño” invited many to reinvent their sound and reformulate their proposals in salsa, with more elaborate arrangements and harmonic sophistication, such as those made in New York by Marty Sheller for Willie Colón.

In addition to the brilliant debut of Papo Sánchez, the excellence of “Lucky 7” rested on the arrangements and orchestrations of such great musicians as trumpeters Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz and Elías Lopéz, pianists Papo Lucca and Jorgito Millet and the King of the Bass, Bobby Valentín.

The sequence begins with the guaguancó “Que me castigue Dios”, performed by Sammy ‘El Rolo’ González, Apollo’s star singer until “La 8va. Maravilla”, their next album. In “Que me castigue Dios” we hear at the end the then incipient Rubén Blades with the declamation of some verses that today would deserve the repudiation of feminist organizations, but that in 1976, were applauded by the prevailing macho sociology in the industry:

May my mouth dry up/If I ever kiss you again/And if I ever look at you again/May my eyesight blur/I’m tired of your bad breath/I never reproached you/Your feet smell too/And I know that not even the worms/With you they wouldn’t get their hands on that day you die/You a cow and I a horse with class/I wish a truck would run over your head/Pa’ que salga la sucieza con que tú a mi me me trataste.

“Lucky 7” was also an LP that satisfied the expectations of the dancer. Although many may have crossed themselves dancing to the samba of “Mi desengaño” and the fusion of “Que me castigue Dios”, the merengue “La mala maña”, arranged by Conjunto Quisqueya pianist Chokie Acosta, the pachanga with cumbia “Estás equivocada”, the composition “A bailar mi bomba” by Arsenio Rodríguez and the guaguancós “Me le fugué a la candela”, “La hija de la vecina” and “Fea” pleased the couples who in those days overflowed halls such as Rancho Luna, El Moroco and El Carretero.

There is no doubt that the best oiled edition of the orchestral collective Apollo Sound was precisely the one that intervened in “Lucky 7“, led then by flutist Miguel Rodriguez, trumpeter Mario Cora, timbalero Cuqui Santos, conguero Papo Clemente and trombonist Julio Merced, who later defected with singer Papo Sanchez to found the band Salsa Fever. Three decades after its release it is an irrefutable affirmation.

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A career worthy of admiration 

José Tabares, known as El Caballero del Bajo, is one of those figures that, though not so well known, play a very important role in the performances that have left many generations of lovers of good music breathless. This very talented bass player is not widely recognizable by many people, but without a doubt, his musical career leaves more than one open-mouthed. 

José Tabares was born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 6, 1971, but spent much of his life in the United States, where he arrived while still very young and started taking part in music playing his first guitar, which pointed him in the same direction as his father and brothers, who were also professional musicians. 

At 11, he began standing to take his first steps in the musical world by performing for groups of the time in New Jersey, among which we can mention Los Chéveres de Colombia and Los Apóstoles. He became particularly known for bass, but also showed a great skill to play other instruments such as the bongo, the trombone, and the conga. 

Joined projects and inspirations

One of his great opportunities came when he took the place of one of his brothers on bass in one of the groups with which he collaborated, and it can be said that it was at that moment his professional career with this instrument became more serious. It was from that moment on that many of the greatest luminaries of Latin music began to take him into account for their best shows.   

Celia Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieves, Tito Rojas, La India, Ruben Blades are among the artists with which Tabares has worked. Unquestionably, all these collaborations were golden opportunities that the musician never missed and made him one of the best Latin bassists of today. 

When he has been interviewed, the bassist said that he has been influenced by many other great musicians, from whom he has learned what he knows and whom he has observed closely to get the best out of each of them. Such is the case of Bobby Valentín, whose work has been a very important reference point for the career of Tabares and is the one that inspired him to fully enter the world of salsa. 

We can also mention Carlos Roldan, who became an extremely important reference for the artist due to the so clean way in which he plays his instruments. It was thanks to exponents like this that Tabares was trained on stage in such a great way and raising the name of his native Medellin very high. 

All this inspiration and learning have obviously borne fruit, as the artist has been part of many great musical works which have been nominated and winners of the Latin Music Grammy Awards and a variety of acknowledgments to the effort made. Despite not having such a well-known name, he is still a great pride for salsa and Latin music lovers. It is important not to lose sight of this talented Colombian. 

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa Magazine in New York City, New York

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