Richie Ray a.k.a. "The King of Salsa" (February 15, 1945) born in New York City, is a pianist, singer, composer and religious minister. Salsa may have one of the following meanings. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who uses his or her voice as an instrument to make music. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A minister can mean several things: A government minister is a politician who heads a government ministry A minister of religion is a member of the clergy A minister is the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that...

Richie was born "Ricardo Maldonado", from Puerto Rican parents who emigrated to New York looking for work and a better way of life. His parents settled in the Brooklyn section of New York, where he was born. Richie's parents had him take piano lessons when they realized that Richie had musical inclinations. Richie started playing the piano when he was only seven years old. The Brooklyn Bridge in 1890, seven years after its opening Kings County in New York State Brooklyn is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City. ... This article is about the modern musical instrument. ...

Richie attended the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the famed High School of Performing Arts and the Juilliard School of Music (Which he attended for only one year) and where he refined his musical training. The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is located near the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue between 65th Street and 64th Street. ... The Juilliard School is a performing arts conservatory in New York City, informally but definitively identified as simply Juilliard, and most famous for its musically-trained alumni. ...

In 1964, Richie formed a band and was signed by Fonseca Records who released his first album titled "Ricardo Ray Arrives". The album had a "hit" song "Mambo Jazz". That very same year Bobby Cruz joined the band and became the lead vocalist of the group. This combination was the beginning of one the greatest salsa duals in the music industry. They recorded and had an international "hit" with "Mr. Trumpet Man". In 1968, Richie and Bobby released "Los Durisimos" (The Hard Ones) and shared equal billing. Since then the band became officially known as "Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz". 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bobby Cruz (born February 1, 1937 in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico) is a noted salsa singer who became a religious minister. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

In 1970, Richie and his friend Bobby opened a nightclub in San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, managing a nightclub required a lot of their time. Shortly after, they decided to sell the establishment because their artistic commitments left them with little or no time to attend the nightclub. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico. ...

By 1974, Richie and Bobby had won nine Gold Record Awards with "hits" such as "Aguzate" (Get Wise); "A Mi Manera" (My Way); "Sonido Bestial" (Beastly Sounds) and "El Diferente" (The Different One). They also won a first place prize in The Feastival of the Orchestras. On August of that year, Richie announced that he had become a born again evangelical Christian. Richie felt tormented by his addiction to drugs and alcohol and wanted to change his life. Bobby refused to accept Richie's change at first but, within four months Bobby himself became a convert. They decided to record their last salsa song together "Adios a la Salsa" (Goodbye to Salsa), as a farewell tribute to the style of music which gave them fame and fortune. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... In its simplist form, a Christian is a follower of and a believer in Jesus of Nazareth. ...

They lost most of their fans and found opposition among the members of their own faith when they suggusted the idea of Christian Salsa. They stood their ground and little by little they started to regain the confidence of their fans and fellow Christians, when they recorded salsa with a religious message.

Together they have founded over 20 Chritian Churches and in 1998, Richie founded Salvation Records, which recorded songs sung by other singers such as Jose Luis Rodriguez who had also become Christians. In 1999, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz held a concert in the Ruben Rodriguez Colesium located in Bayamon, where they sang some of their early hits together with some of their religious songs. The out come was so impressive that they were offered a contract by Universal Records to record their concert. 1998 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... José Luis Rodríguez González, also known as El Puma, (born January 14, 1943 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan singer and actor who has recorded many international super hits and participated in a handful of telenovelas or soap operas. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Ruben Rodriguez (Born 1948) is a Puerto Rican former basketball player who played 19 seasons in the BSN tournament. ... Bayam n (not to be confused with Bayamo, Cuba) is a city in northern Puerto Rico. ... Universal Studios logo This article is about the Universal Studios movie studio and Universal Hollywood theme park. ...

In 2000, Richie and Bobby held a series of concerts that were completely sold out at the Antonio Paoli Hall in the Luis A. Ferre Center of Beautiful Arts in San Juan. They were also honored with a National Day of Salsa in Bayamon. In 2002, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz were inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. This article is about the year 2000. ... Antonio Paol (April 14, 1871-August 24, 1946), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was known in his days as The King of Tenors. He was the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts. ... Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 – October 21, 2003) was an engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. ... San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2003, Richie recorded "El Ritmo del Piano" for Warner Music Latina. Richie and Bobby continue to make appearances in places such as the Copacabana Club in New York. Richie currently lives in Florida with his wife and besides being musically active, he is also busy attending the churhes which he and Bobby found in the United States, Caribbean and Latin-America. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Warner Bros. ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

See also

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