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Luis Guillermo Texidor Ortiz, more commonly known as Luigi Texidor, was born on January 20 1935 in the Puerto Rican town of Santa Isabel, more precisely in Colonia Florida.

The town of Santa Isabel in Puerto Rico is located south of the island of enchantment and borders Cuamo to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the south, Juana Díaz to the west, and Salinas to the east.

He was orphaned as an early age, so upon reaching the legal age, he joined the Army of the United States of America.

On returning to Puerto Rico in 1956, he studied to be a professor at the Catholic University of Ponce.

In parallel, he began participating in various groups as a percussionist (he played the bongo).

It was in the Orquesta Hispana de Juana Díaz where he had the opportunity to sing for the first time.

Then, he joined Antonetti y su Combo, until he finally joined the group Papo Lucca y su Sonora Ponceña in 1963.

After the departure of Papo León, Luigi Texidor became the lead singer of the group.

Between 1969 and 1977, he became the best-known voice of “La Ponceña” with the release of the LP Hacheros pa’ un palo and the albums Conquista Musical and El Gigante del Sur.

With this group, he made immortal songs such as “Fuego en el 23”, “Boranda”, “El Pío Pío”, “Bomba Carambomba”, “La Clave”, “Noche Como Boca’e Lobo”, among others.

It is noteworthy that in 1977, he participated in two albums by the Puertorican All-Stars, which is a group that brought the best Puerto Rican musicians and a sort of rival to the Fania All-Stars.

There he shared stages with Mario Ortiz, Andy Montañez, Paquito Guzmán, Lalo Rodríguez, Tito Allen and Gilberto Santa Rosa.

In 1978 he had to leave La Sonora Ponceña because of differences with singer Yolandita Rivera.

This motivated him to have outstanding participation in the orchestras of Tito Puente and Bobby Valentín (with whom he produced the song “Moreno soy”).

He also had a fleeting involvement in the record label Fania. It should be noted that he has always being one of the first salseros to qualify his verses with jocular and catchphrases.

In 1979 he launched solo and his best-known songs include “¿Quién trabajará?”, “Adiós don Gabino”, “Reina Negra”, “El llanto de las Flores” and “Tema de una Flor”, from the albums El Negrito del Sabor, El Caballero, Betún Negro and Sabroso.

Over the years, he made fleeting comebacks with La Sonora Ponceña, as part of the celebrations for its 40th and 45th anniversaries.

Luigi developed a very particular style for his soneos, highlighted by his fun style. With almost six decades of musical life, Texidor has forged a special place in the hearts of salseros. In the city of Medellín, lovers of good salsa have enjoyed the visit of the singer from the town of Santa Isabel on several occasions, the great Luis Guillermo Texidor Ortíz, “thank you, maestro, for all his music. This is a well-deserved tribute to one of the great Puerto Rican singers in our music”.

Today, very close to reaching the age of 80, he maintains good health. By his own admission, it is known that he does not smoke or try other substances harmful to his health.

Photo by Facebook: Luigi Texidor

Source: Frank Manuel Orellana Rosas

Article of Interest: Yolanda Rivera The Lady of Salsa and the Sonera of Ponce

He was the last surviving member of the glory days of mambo preceding what we know today as salsa.

Ray Santos was a Latin musician, was born to Puerto Rican parents on December 28, 1928, in New York City, attended the Juilliard School of Music where he studied saxophone.

He was a Professor at the City University of New York (City College), where he teaches a Band or ¨performance¨ course.

Ray Santos ¨The last of the Mambo Kings¨

He was a musician in the orchestras of Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez. He was also was an arranger and musical director for recordings of Tommy Olivencia, Junior Toledo, Willie Rosario, Lalo Rodriguez, and Rudy Victorino and an Oscar winner in 1992, for the music of the film “The Mambo Kings” starring Armand.

Maestro Santos is a Puerto Rican man who has made significant contributions to Latin music as an arranger, bandleader, and musician.

However, beyond the circles of mambo lovers and Latin music big bands of yesteryear, not much is known about his distinguished professional career in Puerto Rico.

Part of it, happens because of the nature of Ray Santos himself. This is a literate person but with an amiable and accessible character, totally devoid of vanity, presumption, or ostentation exhibited by other music personalities with attainments less than him.

For instance, unless he is asked directly, Ray Santos is not going to say that he participated with three arrangements on the compact disc “Palo Pa’ Rumba” CD of Eddie Palmieri, which received a Grammy Award from the Recording Academy in 1985.

Nor will he say that he also arranged for Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente on the CD “Obra Maestra” which received a Grammy Award in 2001.

For Linda Rondstat he wrote all the arrangements and was the conductor for her CD “Frenesí”, which received a Grammy Award in 1993.

In the movie “Mambo Kings” he was a mambo director and arranger, including the arrangement of “Beautiful Maria of my Soul”, a song that was nominated for an “Oscar®” as “Best Song from a Motion Picture” at the 65th Academy Awards® of the Academy of Picture Arts and Sciences.

In other words, this is a person who has reached a seat of honor in the world of Latin music, is Puerto Rican, and is practically unknown by his countrymen.

On the one hand, the album “Mi Luz Mayor” celebrates the legacy of Machito, Puente, and Rodriguez. And on the other, The great contribution of Ray Santos to Afro-Caribbean dance music.

We would like to present the outstanding professional career of Maestro Ray Santos after he suffered a recent health problem.

Ray Santos passed away at his home died on October 17, 2019, at the age of 90.

Facebook: Ray Santos

Sources:

By Ewin Martinez Torre

[email protected]

Latin Heritage Contributor

San Juan – Puerto Rico

Jaime Torres Torres

National Foundation for Popular Culture

El eterno ‘swing’ de Ray Santos

Articles of Interest: Ralph Irrizary, a well-known percussionist, is considered one of the most “Swing” timbaleros in the world