Roberto Torres (born 10 February 1938)
is a Cuban singer, percussionist, bandleader and producer. Born in
Güines, Cuba,
he moved to the United States in 1959, where he became involved in the Latin music scenes of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
In 1979, he founded two record labels, Guajiro Records and its subsidiary, SAR, both devoted to Cuban music.
As a singer and musician, he is famous for his combination of Cuban and Colombian music, which he termed "
charanga vallenata". His biggest hit was a cover version of
Simón Díaz
Simón Narciso Díaz Márquez (August 8, 1928 – February 19, 2014) was a Venezuelan singer and Grammy Award-winning composer of Venezuelan music.
Career
Díaz endeavored to recover the folklore and musical traditions of the '' llanos'', the Ve ...
's "
Caballo Viejo
"Caballo Viejo" ('Old Horse') is a Venezuelan folk song written and composed by Simón Díaz, which appears on the 1980 album ''Golpe Y Pasaje''. It has become one of the most important folk songs in Venezuela and is regarded as a classic. "Bam ...
".
He was a member of the
Sonora Matancera for three years.
He has also appeared in music documentaries such as ''
Son sabrosón: antesala de la salsa''.
On 2 June 2011, the Cuban-American community of
Union City, New Jersey honored Torres with a star on the Walk of Fame at
Celia Cruz
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during t ...
Plaza.
[Sanabria, Santo. "Latinos honored in Union City", '' The Union City Reporter'', 12 June 2011, pages 1 and 12]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Roberto
1940 births
Living people
Cuban musicians
Cuban emigrants to the United States