Roberto Roena Señor Bongo & Fania All Star RIP

Roberto Roena, legendary percussionist, bandleader, showman, dancer and member of the Fania All Stars (pictured left) died on September 23rd due to a heart attack at the age of 81. Roena was one of the original members of El Gran Combo. He later became the leader of his own band “Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound” who were very popular and considered one of the finest Salsa bands in Puerto Rico. Roena was a long time member of the Fania All Stars, the Salsa supergroup that enjoyed massive worldwide success since the 1970’s.

Roena, was born in the Dulces Labios neighborhood of Mayaguez where he began staging dance routines with his brother Cuqui when he was a little kid. His family moved to Santurce where the brothers continued to refine their mambo and cha cha cha routines for public contests. This led to their weekly appearances on the TV program “La Taberna India” where Roberto was discovered by renowned percussionist/bandleader Rafael Cortijo. Roena not only had talent as a dancer but as a conguero as well. Cortijo took him under his wing and taught the young Roena to play bongos. He eventually became the bongo player for Cortijo Y Su Combo which was mostly made up of black musicians of Puerto Rican descent.

After Cortijo’s popular lead singer Ismael Rivera was arrested for drug possession and the group dissolved, Roena eventually joined El Gran Combo which was made up of former Cortijo musicians under the direction of pianist Rafael Ithier. El Gran Combo became a sensation. However Roena left El Gran Combo after having a falling out with vocalist Andy Montañez. In 1969, Roena formed his orquesta Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound.

The band was considered one of the best and innovative bands in Puerto Rico recording hits such as “Y Tu Loco Loco Y Yo Tranquilo“, “Con Los Pobres Estoy“, “Que Se Sepa“, “El Que Se Fue“, “Cui Cui” and others. Roena surrounded himself with great musicians and arrangers such as Mario Ortiz, Bobby Valentin, Elias Lopez, Luis “Perico” Ortiz and Papo Lucca. His horn section made up of two trumpets, a trombone and a saxophone was considered progressive at its time.

Roena was also a featured long-time member of the Fania All Stars, a group of Salsa superstars which became the showcase group for Fania Records. Roena was featured in the finale “Ponte Duro” where he played the bongos and danced with his uncle, legendary Salsa dancer Anibal Vasquez which was a crowd favorite. Roena would also exhibit a flair as a dynamic showman by dying his hair in different colors and playing percussion in his underwear.

Although the Salsa Brava of the 70’s faded out to the trend of Salsa Romantica of the 80’s, Roberto Roena maintained himself during that tough period for a lot of veteran Salsa musicians. He revitalized The Apollo Sound in the 1990’s with a series of explosive recordings for the Musical Productions label. He celebrated 25 years with his orquesta with a successful concert at the Centro De Bellas Artes in San Juan which was recorded. This release was hugely popular and validated his music for a new generation. Roena continued to tour, collaborate with musicians and record up until the time of his death. He is considered one of the all time great bongoceros in Salsa music.

RIP Roberto Roena…thanks for all the music!!