Andy Montañez

Andrés Montañez Rodríguez was born on May 5,  1942, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and emerged as a singer and songwriter in the salsa genre. Growing up in the Tras Talleres area of Santurce, he joined the internationally successful El Gran Combo in the early 1960s, contributing to hits such as "Hojas blancas" and "Un verano en N.Y." During his fifteen‑year tenure, he recorded 37 LPs with the group. In 1977 he departed to collaborate with La Dimensión Latina, a move that sparked rivalry with El Gran Combo. After leaving, Andy Montañez formed his own orchestra and toured Latin America and the United States, representing Puerto Rico at the 1992 World’s Fair in Seville. His solo career yielded albums such as Salsa Con Reggaeton (2006), featuring reggaeton artists, and Salsa… Pa' La Calle (2008). In 2006 he earned a Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album alongside Pablo Milanés. Andy Montañez continued to record and perform into the 2010s, collaborating with Ivy Queen on Vendetta (2015) and releasing the compilation Salsa Legends in 2015. The Latin Recording Academy honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, and he remained active into the 2020s through ongoing catalog releases and new tracks appearing on major platforms.