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.