Salsa music

Salsa Music is a rich and predominantly Caribbean rhythim that has for decades been sounding off the radio on many Latino countries.

Salsa's roots can be traced back to the African ancestors that came to the Caribbean with Christopher Columbus and other Spaniard expeditions as slaves. In Africa, it is very common to find people playing music with instruments like la conga and and la pandereta, instruments commongly used in Salsa, thus creating a sound very similar to that of Salsa.

Salsa's growth, however, it's said to have begun in the streets of New York. The influence of Latino inmigrants to the 'Big Apple' (or Nueva York as people know the city in Spanish), and the need of these people to feel closer to home, brought upon the grow of this music genre among Latinos.

From New York, Salsa quickly expanded to Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. During the first years of expansion, many singers of the caliber of Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and other became household names, both in North American Latino homes and all over the Caribbean. Soon, groups like El Gran Combo and The Apollo All Stars with Roberto Rohena among others, followed suit and earned a lot of fame.

Salsa has registered a steady growth and is now right there battling for the top spot with English Pop music for the fans' tastes all over Latin America.

Salsa during the 80's also expanded to Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Europe and Japan, where it was popularized by the famous Orquesta Del Sol. It keeps its staedy growth throught all these countries.

Famous Salsa singers today include Tony Vega, Jerry Rivera, Gilberto Santa Rosa and many others.

One singer worth mentioning was Hector Lavoe, a very popular singer during the 70's , who sadly commited suicide in 1989, taken apart by personal and health problems.

In the Dominican Republic, another very danceable rhythim that is similar to Salsa, the Merengue, was created, with many great singers and groups like Conjunto Quisqueya, Puerto Rico's Ashley and The Freddie Kenton Orquestra being the rhythim's top artists.