When salsa superstar Gilberto Santa Rosa was playing Victor Manuelle's high-school graduation party, and invited him onstage to sing, few could have predicted the outcome. The Puerto Rican legend liked what he heard so much he hired the teenager as a backup singer, a role which led to a deal with Sony Discos, and later produced his debut, Justo a Tiempo. Manuelle truly broke out with his self-titled third album in '96, while the improvisational talents he continually showcased as a live performer earned him the nickname, "El Sonero de la Juventud."