Gilberto Santa Rosa

Growing up on 50’s and 60’s salsa music, Rosa became interested in pursuing music during school, participating in his first concert in 1976 whilst still a tender teenager. After performing with the Mario Ortiz Orchestra, Rosa was recruited by La Grande Orchestra where he remained for two years and met Elias Lopez.

The 1980s brought a string of recordings for the singer alongside the Tommy Olivencia Orchestra, El Gran Combo and the tribute album “Homenaje a Eddie Palmieri” alongside the Puerto Rican All Stars. Rosa became a unique improvisor of salsa, walking the line between the tropical and romantic styles of the music, which contributed to his appreciation and popularity.

In 1986 Rosa signed with Combo Records and among others released the hit albums “Good Vibrations” which features arrangements by Mario Ortiz, Ramón Sánchez and Tommy Villariny, “Keeping Cool!” and “De Amor y Salso”. Due to the success of his fourth album entitled “Sala en Movimiento” released in 1989, Rosa signed with CBS Discos who would be able to internationally distribute his music.

Teaming up with young songwriter Omar Alfanno on the album “Punto de Vista” Rosa achieved consistent success with a number of hits including “Vivr sin Ella”, Perdoname” and De Cualquier”. The album’s successor “Perspectiva” released in 1991 was the Salsero’s biggest hit to date and included many of the same collaborators as its predecessor.

In 1990 Rosa was awarded the Billboard Lo Nuestro Award for Best Male singer, he recorded a live album at Carnegie Hall Theatre in New York, U.S. the first tropical salsa artist to do so and acted as the Puerto Rican Good Will Ambassador to Japan where he sang “De Cara al Viento” (Facing the Wind) in Japanese.

The singer spawned a string of hits throughout the 1990s, forever altering his particular sound and diversifying his music. From the orchestral “De Cara al Viento” (1994) and the energised “Essencia” (1996) to “De Corazón (1997) and “Expresión (1999). By this point Rosa’s popularity and success had swelled and the singer could seemingly do no wrong, with Rosa’s subsequent albums achieving both critical and commercial success including 2002’s “Viceversa” which produced the hits “Por Más Que Intento” and “Un Montón de Estrellas”.

Rosa has been honoured by Union City, New Jersey, U.S. with a key to the city and a star of their Walk of Fame, he holds the record for most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart as well as most Grammy nominations for Best Salsa Album.