Ray Barretto

A master of Cuban percussion, Ray Barretto (b. 1929) embodied the salsa that emerged in New York in the 1950s, setting Latin jazz ablaze. In 1963, his hit "El Watusi" launched the boogaloo craze. Much in demand in the studio, the king of congas took part in hundreds of sessions for Dizzy Gillespie, Wes Montgomery, Lou Donaldson, Bette Midler and The Rolling Stones. At the same time, he was a member of the Fania All-Stars collective from 1968 to 1994, and led a consistent career as a percussionist and leader, marked by the albums Acid (1968), Barretto Power and The Message (1972) and Indestructible (1973). Winner of a Grammy Award for the album Ritmo En El Corazon (1987) with Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto formed the New World Spirit, which recorded Trancedance in 2000 and taught his art around the world until his death in 2006.