Raymond Muñoz Rodriguez, known as Monchito, is a Latin music bandleader and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

popular during the New York mambo and cha cha cha boom of the 1950s. Monchito played bongo for

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...

, but in 1959 moved to

Tito Rodriguez Tito may refer to: People Mononyms *Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman *Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journal ...

' band to be able to play

timbal The timbau or Brazilian timbal is a membranophone instrument derived from the caxambu drum, usually played with both hands. Slightly conical and of varying sizes, it is usually light in weight and made of lacquered wood or metal (usually alumin ...

.Mambo Kingdom Latin Music in New York p.104 "For the three sessions to finish the album I am listed as Ray Rodriguez odriguez is Monchito's mother's maiden name

Discography

*''Cha Cha Cha'', album 1955 Monchito and the Mambo Royals

References

Bongo players Timbaleros Year of birth missing (living people) Possibly living people {{US-musician-stub