Tommy Olivencia (May 15, 1938 – September 22, 2006) was a renowned Puerto Rican bandleader of

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

music.

Early years

Olivencia (birth name: Ángel Tomás Olivencia Pagán) was born in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of

Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, the ...

when he was just a child. There received his primary and secondary education. As a young man, he became fascinated with the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and learned to play the musical instrument. In 1954, Olivencia sang and played the trumpet for local bands. He graduated from high school in 1957 and his family relocated once again to Santurce.

La Primerísima Orquesta de Puerto Rico

In 1960, Olivencia organized his first orchestra, which he named the "Tommy Olivencia y La Primerísima Orquesta de Puerto Rico". His band combined swing and melodic styles together. This combination, plus a strong brass contingent in the band was his trademark. Olivencia signed a contract with Inca Records and remained with that label until 1978. In 1972, he had his first major "hit" with ''Secuestro'' (''Kidnapped'') and followed that with ''Juntos de Nuevo'' (''Together Again'') in 1974 and ''Planté Bandera'' in 1975. Olivencia's band was also known as the "Tommy Olivencia School", because the band produced some of the best and most talented singers and musicians of salsa in the island. Among those to have belonged to the band at one time or another were:

Chamaco Ramirez Chamaco is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Chamaco Ramirez (1941–1983), Puerto Rican singer and composer * Chamaco Rivera (born 1946), Puerto Rican singer and composer *Chamaco Valaguez Javier Prado Valaguez (bor ...

, Sammy "El Rolo" González, Simon Perez, Paquito Guzman, Ubaldo "Lalo" Rodriguez,

Gilberto Santa Rosa Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa" (The Gentleman of Salsa) (born August 21, 1962), is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three million ...

Marvin Santiago Marvin Santiago (December 26, 1947 – October 6, 2004) was a Puerto Rican salsa singer who became famous all across Latin America during the 1970s. He was also a part-time comedian on Puerto Rican television.Marvin Santiago El Sonero Del Puebl ...

Frankie Ruiz José Antonio Torresola Ruiz better known as Frankie Ruiz (March 10, 1958 – August 9, 1998) was an American salsa singer and songwriter of Puerto Rican descent. He was a major figure in the ''salsa romántica'' subgenre that was popular in the ...

, Hector Tricoche, Carlos Alexis, Hector "Pichie" Perez, Paquito "Junior" Acosta and Mel Martínez.

Discography

Among the albums recorded by Olivencia and his band are: * ''Trucutu'' (1965) * ''La Nueva Sensación Musical de Puerto Rico'' (1965) epackaging of ''Trucutu''* ''Jala-Jala y Guaguancó'' (1966) * ''Fire-Fire'' (1967) * ''A Toda Máquina..!'' (1968) * ''Cuero...Salsa y Sentimiento'' (1971) * ''Secuestro'' (1972) * ''Juntos de Nuevo'' (1974) * ''Planté Bandera'' (1975) * ''Introducing Lalo Rodríguez and Simón Pérez'' (1976) * ''El Negro Chombo'' (1977) * ''La Primerísima'' (1978) * ''Sweet Trumpet Hot "Salsa"'' (1978) * ''Tommy Olivencia & Orchestra'' (1979) * ''Un Triángulo de Triunfo'' (1981) * ''Cantan: Frankie Ruiz y Carlos Alexis'' (1983) * ''Celebrando Otro Aniversario'' (1985) * ''Ayer, Hoy, Mañana y Siempre'' (1986) * ''30° Aniversario'' (1987) * ''El Jeque'' (1989) * ''Enamorado y Qué!'' (1991) * ''Vive la Leyenda'' (1998) * ''40° Aniversario Live'' (2002) The following are considered among the top 100 greatest salsa songs: * "Casimira" * "Cómo lo Hacen" * "Trucutu" * "Pa' Lante Otra Vez" * "Lobo Domesticado" * "No Me Tires la Primera Piedra"

Awards and recognitions

Among the many awards and recognitions which have been bestowed upon Olivencia are the following: * The Puerto Rican Senate passed a resolution congratulating Olivencia and his band for their contributions to Puerto Rico's music. * El Cordero de Oro (The Golden Lamb) and El Buho de Oro (The Golden Owl) Awards from

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, for the best foreign band. * The Agüeybaná de Oro Award from Puerto Rico * The November 11 Award from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Later years and death

In August 2000, Olivencia celebrated his 40th anniversary in the music industry at the

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 ...

Theater in San Juan, an event attended by many of the former members of his band. On May 15, 2004, Olivencia celebrated his 66th birthday and 45 years with the band with a live recording concert. The National Salsa Day of 2005, celebrated annually in Puerto Rico was dedicated to Mr. Tommy Olivencia. He died on September 22, 2006, aged 68, in San Juan, Puerto Rico from complications of diabetes, which he had battled his entire life. Olivencia is buried in the San José Cemetery in Villa Palmeras.

Early years

La Primerísima Orquesta de Puerto Rico

Discography

Awards and recognitions

Later years and death

See also

Notes

References

External links