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the well renowned arrangers and composers who nourished his repertoire were Mario Ortiz, Bobby ValentĂn, Elias LopĂ©s, Luis “Perico” Ortiz and Papo Lucca. With "Apollo Sound", Roberto introduced a “new” sound to salsa music by utilizing two trumpets, a trombone and a saxophone, a combination he took from the influence of the wind section of the rock group
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lead singer, and "El Gran Combo" was born. Out of gratitude and loyalty to Rafael
Cortijo, his mentor, Roena did not join the new Combo immediately. Eventually Cortijo left for New York in search of new musicians, and after nine months, Roberto, who had stayed in Puerto Rico, decided to join "El Gran Combo" which was then led by pianist
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Beginning in the 1980s, Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound experienced a fade in popularity, reflecting a crisis that was sweeping through the salsa movement in general. Nevertheless, Roberto maintained himself by collaborating and recording independently with local groups. In 1990, Roena tried to
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Roberto always considered variety as the key to success, leading him to include in his musical repertoire everything from go-go to the romantic, the same in
English as in Spanish. Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound’s first album produced hits of great impact like “Tú loco loco y yo tranquilo,” “El
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Even without knowing how to read or write music, and probably because of it, Roena knew how to surround himself with excellent musicians and arrangers. "Apollo Sound" featured musicians from the ensemble of Tito Puente, "Cortijo y Su Combo", "El Gran Combo" and "Los
Sunsets", among others. Some of
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The Combo’s good fortune ended with the arrest of its star singer, Ismael Rivera, for charges of drug possession. With the absence of “El Sonero Mayor,” Cortijo’s musicians discussed the possibility of remaining together. Some members of the group chose to distance themselves from their imprisoned
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Apollo Sound recorded under the label
International Records (a subsidiary of Fania) for a decade, in which they harvested successes like “Traición,” “Chotorro,” “Mi Desengaño,” “Fea,” “Marejada feliz,” “Cui cui,” and “El progreso,” among others. His popularity on the radio waves accompanied tours
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When
Roberto was 16 years old, Cortijo was in need of a bongo player for a group that he was forming. Visualizing a bongo player that could dance and play the cowbell at the same time, Cortijo recruited Roberto to join his new band, and personally taught Roberto how to play both instruments. The
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El Gran Combo became the new sensation in Latin music, and Roena was part of the group until 1969. Wanting to establish his own salsa orchestra, Roberto formed “Los
Megatones” in 1967, playing Latin Jazz Wednesday nights at a local club. Two years after forming "Los Megatones", as a result of
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Roena was born in barrio Dulces Labios in MayagĂĽez on
January 16, 1940. His parents were Raquel MarĂa Vázquez Plaza and Francisco Roena. Roena had two daughters, Brenda and Gladys and two sons, Ivan and Francisco. Roena died in a hospital in Carolina, Puerto Rico on September 23, 2021, after
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were some of the tricks that he used to stand out among the other groups in vogue. In fact, a noted journalist that followed Apollo Sound once remarked that they were “the first group in Puerto Rico with a system of psychedelic lights and go-go girls.”
272:, with the group; live performances of the song featured Roena playing the bongos and dancing with his uncle, legendary salsa dancer AnĂbal Vázquez, in a choreographed section that almost always received standing ovations from the audience.
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Complementing the musicality of the salsa group was always the showmanship inherent in
Roberto Roena. Dying his hair in new colors, playing percussion in his underwear and sporting a harness so he could “fly” around the stage of
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In 1994, he celebrated 25 years with his orchestra in a successful concert at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan. This performance was recorded and released, validating his music for a new generation.
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Colin Larkin -The
Encyclopedia of Popular Music - Volume 7 2006- Page 105 "... after Apollo Sound's sixth album, and Jose 'Papo' Sanchez joined Gonzalez as co-lead vocalist on Lucky 7 in 1976."
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as vocalist. With that lineup, they toured the major stages of the United States, Europe, and South
America. It is worth noting that
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Mr. Roena took a giant step in the fusion of salsa with jazz, in the 1970s, by joining forces with African superstar (saxophonist)
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escapulario,” and “El sordo.” In fact, it was Apollo Sound who popularized the Bobby Capó classic, “Soñando con Puerto Rico.”
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percussionist, orchestra leader, and dancer. Roena was one of the original members of Cortijo y su combo and later with
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lunar mission coincided with the day of the band’s first rehearsal. The band eventually recorded hits such as
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In 1969, he went on to form a band by the name of "Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound", arguably one of the best
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personal differences with Andy Montañez, one of "El Gran Combo's" vocalists, Roberto left "El Gran Combo".
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bands in Puerto Rico. Roberto Roena’s new orchestra was baptized "El Apollo Sound" because the launch of
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label, which has enjoyed worldwide success since the 1970s. He recorded his signature song,
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revive the concept of Apollo Sound. He opened a concert for British rock singer
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at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, where he presented his hit salsa version of "
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suffering a heart attack. He was buried at Monte Calvario Cemetery in
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bands in Puerto Rico. Roena had also been a long-time member of the
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group's name derived from the name of an existing band named "
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Biography, Discography, Photos, Lyrics (SalsaClasica.com)
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that has enjoyed worldwide success since the 1970s.
517:"Roberto Roena Died: What Was His Cause Of Death?"
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403:1982 - Super Apollo 47-50 with Adalberto Santiago
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170:saw Roena in action. Roena, aside from being a
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353:Discography
251:Que Se Sepa
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649:Categories
573:31 October
552:2021-09-29
527:2021-09-24
468:2021-09-29
441:References
136:supergroup
134:, a salsa
66:1940-01-16
337:in 2003.
239:Apollo 11
429:See also
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247:Traicion
185:El Combo
160:MayagĂĽez
74:MayagĂĽez
19:In this
640:YouTube
620:Discogs
164:WKAQ-TV
33:Vázquez
25:surname
501:8 June
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172:dancer
320:Sting
231:salsa
228:Latin
128:salsa
125:Latin
29:Roena
629:IMDb
575:2015
503:2012
490:ISBN
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