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One of the earliest performers to fuse Afro-Carribean rythyms with the sounds of a big band, Tito Puente became one of America's most famous and beloved artists. The five-time Grammy Award winner worked with numerous luminaries in the music world over his 60-year career, including such legends as Celia Cruz, Machito, and Woody Herman. With well over 100 albums recorded during his lifetime, Puente deserved the nickname "El Rey (The King)."

Puente was born in Spanish Harlem in 1923, and quickly began his long musical journey by taking piano lessons at the age of seven. Three years later, he swithched to the drums and other various percussion instruments, which led to gigs with such early groups as Los Happy Boys and more importantly, with Frank "Machito" Grillo and his orchestra. It was Machito who persuaded Puente to switch to the timbales, the type of drums that would make Puente famous.

Despite a three-year hiatus from music after being drafted by the U...

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