The Puerto Rican Senate refers to them as ‘Ambassadors of our music’. El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico saw the light of day in 1962 under the leadership of its now 92-year-old founder Don Rafael Ithier. In their career, spanning more than 60 years, the group released 90 albums, and scored hits such as the classics El Verano De Nueva York, El Menu and Timbalero. Their 1978 record En Las Vegas sold in excess of a million copies, and its successor In Alaska: Breaking The Ice received a Grammy nomination. Although the lineup has seen multiple musicians come and go over the years, El Gran Combo has consistently been an unstoppable salsa powerhouse worldwide. Their music forms a cultural bridge between various generations of fans, while winning over new aficionados in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Latin America along their travels.
