Ray Barretto a.k.a. King of the Hard Hands (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) born in New York City, was a Puerto Rican jazz musician, widely credited as the godfather of Latin jazz. He was also the first Hispanic to record a latin song which became a "hit" in the American Billboard Charts. April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... The Hispanic world Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, Iberian Peninsula) is a term denoting a derivation from Spain, its people and culture. ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ...

Ray Barretto

Barretto's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the early 1920s, looking for a better life. The family last name is "Barreto"; a mistake at the time Ray's birth certificate was filed gave his last name its formal spelling. He was raised in Spanish Harlem and at a very young age was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the jazz music of musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Image File history File links Barretto. ... Image File history File links Barretto. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974), also known simply as Duke (see Jazz royalty), was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army. While stationed in Germany, Barretto met Belgium vibist Fats Sadi, who was working there. However, it was when he heard Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" with Cuban percussionist, Chano Pozo, that he realized his true calling in life. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Fats Sadi (Lallemand) (born October 23, 1927 in Andenne) is a Belgian jazz musician, vocalist and composer, playing vibraphone and percussion. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Chano Pozo(January 7 1915 in Havana, Cuba-December 2, 1948 in New York, USA) was a percussionist with a musical background from Cuban religious cults. ...

In 1949, when Barretto returned home from the service, he started to visit clubs and participated in jam sessions, where he perfected his conga playing. On one occasion Charlie Parker heard Barretto play and invited him to play in his band. Later, he was asked to play for Jose Curbelo and Tito Puente, for whom he played for four years. Barretto developed a unique style of playing the conga and soon he was sought by other jazz band leaders. Latin percussionists started to appear in jazz groups with frequency as a consequence of Barretto's musical influence. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... A pair of congas The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum of African origin, probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums. ... Charlie Parker Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Tito Puente Ernesto Antonio Puente Jr. ...

Ray Barretto album cover

In 1960, Barretto was a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, and Riverside labels. New York had become the center of Latin music in the United States and a style called "Charanga" was the Latin music craze of the time. Image File history File links Raybarreto. ... Image File history File links Raybarreto. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

In 1961, Barretto recorded his first hit, "El Watusi", the first Latin song to enter the Billboard charts. He was quite successful with the song and the genre, to the point of being typecasted (something that he disliked). In 1967, he joined the Fania record label where he recorded "Acid", an experiment joining rhythm and blues with Latin music. Just as his salsa group attained a remarkable following most of its members left it to form Tipica 73, a multinational salsa conglomerate. This left Barretto depressed and disappointed with salsa; he then redirected his efforts into Latin jazz, while remaining as musical director of the Fania All Stars. Barretto's 1968 album Acid contained the song "Deeper Shade of Soul", which was sampled for the 1991 US (#21) hit of the same name by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Fania can refer to: Fania Records Fania All-Stars This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Rhythm and blues (aka R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences — first performed by African American artists. ... Tipica 73 was a popular New York salsa band in the 1970s and early 1980s, formed with a number of musicians from Ray Barrettos band. ... Fania All-Stars was a salsa group established in 1968 by Johnny Pacheco as a showcase for the leading musicians and singers of the record label Fania Records, the leading salsa record company of the time. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... For other uses, see Acid (disambiguation). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch band, celebrated as being one the most innovative and important music groups to come from The Netherlands. ...

Barretto played the conga in recording sessions for the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees. In 1975 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the song "Barretto". From 1976 to 1978, Barretto recorded three records for Atlantic Records, including "La Cuna", and was nominated for a Grammy for "Barretto Live...Tomorrow". In 1979, he produced a salsa record for Fania, titled "Ricanstruction", which was named 1980 "Best Album" by Latin N.Y. Magazine, with Barretto crowned as Conga Player of the Year. This article is about the rock band. ... The Bee Gees were a Manx-born Anglo-Australian singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — that became one of the most successful musical acts of all time. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Rock Music article is a good example of actual music history ! Gives credit where deserved, Not biased oriented views on music !!! This article contradicts another Wikipedia article at this link under salsa !!! http://en. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

In 1990, Barretto finally won a Grammy for the album "Ritmo en el Corazon" (Rhythm in the Heart), which featured the vocals of Celia Cruz. In 1999, Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. This article is about the year. ... Celia Cruz (Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso) (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a [[CubaInsert non-formatted text here|Cuban]] salsa singer who spent most of her career living in New Jersey, and working in the United States and several Latin American countries. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

Barretto lived in New York and was an active musical producer, as well as the leader of a touring band which has embarked in tours of the United States, Europe, Israel and Latin America. Barreto died 17 February 2006 at the Hackensack University Hospital of multiple health complications. His body was flown to Puerto Rico, where Barretto was given formal honors by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture; his remains were eventually cremated. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the six inhabited continents of the Earth. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ...

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

list of famous Puerto Ricans in alphabetical order by last names, where applicable. ...

References

• "Grammy-winning Latin-jazz drummer Ray Barretto dies at 76", Houston Chronicle, 17 February 2006

The Houston Chronicle is a daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. ...

External links

• Photographs and Sound