Joe Cuba Sextette

Joe Cuba, born Gilberto Miguel Calderón Cardona on April 22, 1931, in Harlem, New York, is renowned as one of the most influential figures in Latin music. Raised in the heart of New York City's Spanish Harlem, he took up the conga after suffering a leg injury. His professional career in music started in the 1950s, first with Joe Panama and later as a member of La Alfarona X. Following an encounter with seminal Latin music percussionist Tito Puente, he formed the Joe Cuba Sextet in 1954, a pioneering group that blended Latin rhythms with American jazz and rhythm & blues, creating a unique sound that soon gained a considerable following. After cutting a few albums for the Mardi Gras label in the late 1950s, the group made its official debut in 1962 with the album Steppin' Out, including the hit single "To Be With You." Featuring vocals by singers Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy Sabater Sr., the Joe Cuba Sextet quickly became one of the leading exponents of the Nuyorican cultural Movement. Their breakthrough came in 1965 with the crossover hit single "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back to Georgia)," a catchy boogaloo track that captured the exuberant spirit of the 1960s and introduced the broader American audience to Latin music. That year, the Joe Cuba Sextet released the single "Mujer Divina," widely regarded as one of the most popular entries in their catalog. This success was followed later that year by the single "Bang! Bang!" (1966), which peaked at Number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Known as "The Father of Latin Boogaloo," Joe Cuba continued to experiment with different styles over the following years, releasing numerous successful albums, including My Man Speedy! (1968), Hecho y Derecho (Doing it Right) (1973), Cocinando la Salsa (1976), and El Pirata del Caribe (1979). In 1999, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. Joe Cuba passed away on February 15, 2009 due to a persistent bacterial infection.