El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

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About El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

Salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was formed in 1962 by pianist Rafael Ithier, a longtime member of Cortijo y Su Combo. ∙ 1963’s Acángana was the group’s first Gold album, kicking off a prolific run during which they released more than 20 LPs by the end of the decade. ∙ Beginning in 1965, El Gran Combo spent several years as the house band on the Puerto Rican variety TV program El Show de las 12. ∙ In 1970, they started their own label, EGC Records—later known as Combo Records—and have (mostly) released their own music ever since. ∙ Sharing a bill with Fania All-Stars, El Gran Combo played for 50,000 people in 1975 at a sold-out Yankee Stadium. ∙ Their 1984 album, Breaking the Ice, earned El Gran Combo the first of their six Grammy Award nominations. ∙ Officially named Ambassadors of Our Music by the Puerto Rican Senate, the group won countless accolades, including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. ∙ After more than five decades of music, El Gran Combo is recognized as the most successful Puerto Rican musical group of all time.

ORIGIN
San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States
FORMED
May 1962
GENRE
Música tropical
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