Tag Archives: El Canario

Santa Rosa Becomes Guinness World Records Record-Holder

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Gilberto Santa Rosa has entered the record books…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican singer, known as El Caballero de la Salsa, has become a Guinness World Records record-holder.

Gilberto Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa has been recognized for having the most No. 1s on Billboard’s Tropical Albums chart.

He’s earned 12 No. 1s since the chart launched in 1985, more than any other act (Victor Manuelle follows with 11).

Guinness World Records presented him with the award at La Salsa Vive, The Concert at Madison Square Garden, where Santa Rosa and other tropical artists, like El Gran Combo, Ruben Blades and Jose Alberto “El Canario” all performed.

Santa Rosa, who began his singing career during the 1980s, earned his first No. 1 in 1992 with Perspectiva — which, with 10 crowning weeks, is his longest-running chart-topper to date. Most recently, Necesito Un Bolero topped the tally on the Feb. 28, 2015 dated list.

Here’s a look at Santa Rosa’s 12 No. 1s on the Tropical Albums chart:

Title, Peak date (weeks at No. 1)

Perspectiva, Jan. 11, 1992 (10 weeks)
Esencia, Dec. 7, 1996 (four weeks)
Intenso, May 19, 2001 (two weeks)
Viceversa, Sept. 21, 2002 (eight weeks)
Autentico, Sept. 11, 2004 (one week)
Asi Es Nuestra Navidad (with El Gran Combo), Dec. 17, 2005 (two weeks)
Dos Soneros, Una Historia (with Victor Manulle), Dec. 31, 2005 (three weeks)
Directo Al Corazon, April 1, 2006 (two weeks)
Una Navidad Con Gilberto, Dec. 20, 2008 (three weeks)
El Caballero De La Salsa: La Historia Tropical, May 30, 2009 (one week)
Irrepetible, July 17, 2010 (one week)
Necesito Un Bolero, Feb. 28, 2015 (one week)

Guinness World Records adjudicator Raquel Assis bestowed the award to Santa Rosa at the concert. She stated “as the global authority in record-breaking, it is an honor to present Gilberto with this achievement and to be part of a night filled with some of the biggest stars of tropical music.”

In addition to his album achievements, Santa Rosa has also notched several hit songs on the Billboard charts. He holds 10 top 10s on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including a No. 1 with “Que Alguien Me Diga,” which spent three weeks atop the chart in 2000. Over on the Tropical Songs chart, he has notched 14 No. 1s, where he is tied (with Elvis Crespo) for third place among acts with the most chart-toppers.

Sergio George’s Salsa Giants to Perform in Latin America Beginning in October

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Sergio George’s Salsa Giants will have you moviendo tus caderas this fall…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican pianist and noted record producer has announced plans for his music group to perform a series of concerts later this year.

Sergio George's Salsa Giants

The Salsa Giants kick off concert will take place on October 4th in Lima, Peru.

Oscar D’León, Luis Enrique, Cheo Feliciano, Andy Montañez, Willy Chirino, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Tito Nieves, vocalist Nora from Orquesta de la Luz and Charlie Zaa make up the line up of the Salsa Giants concert at Lima’s San Marcos University.

The group’s tour will continue to Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Panama, with dates still to be announced.

Marc Anthony, a featured singer on the Salsa Giants debut album, which was recorded live at the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, will not be part of the group’s kick off concert, as he’s scheduled to play the same night at San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico José M. Agrelot, commonly referred to as el Choliseo.

Meanwhile, salsa pioneers the Fania All Stars will stage a rare reunion concert at the Choliseo on Oct. 18.

That line up will include Fania founder Johnny Pacheco, Ismael Miranda, Feliciano, Colón, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentín and others who were present at the birth of salsa in 1960s in New York City.

The concert will include tributes to departed All Star members Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Ray Baretto and others, with a special nod to Puerto Rican cuatro player Yomo Toro, who passed away last year.

The Fania musicians will continue on a world tour in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Fania Records, according to the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Michael Rucker. No other concert dates have been announced at this time.

Anthony Currently Recording New Salsa Album…

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He’s  the top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time… And Marc Anthony’s ready to make you mover las caderas all over again…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer is back in the studio recording his next record with noted producer Sergio George.

Marc Anthony

“We’re doing a salsa album with brand new songs,” confirmed George to Billboard.

Anthony is recording the album in Miami, with musicians being flown in from salsa capitals Puerto Rico and New York.

George, who recently launched the career of bachata-pop idol Prince Royce, worked with Anthony on the gold-selling Todo a su tiempo, and his 1993 salsa debut, Otra nota.

Anthony’s last studio album was 2010’s Iconos, which featured the singer’s emotive versions of classic love ballads made famous by Latin pop stars.

The idea for Anthony’s upcoming return to recording salsa came out of George and Anthony’s encounter at the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival in August, where Anthony sang as part of George’s All Star Salsa Friends. The band of salsa legends included Anthony, along with Cheo Feliciano, José Alberto “El Canario”, Luis Enrique and other greats of the genre. George is preparing to put out a CD and DVD of that concert on his label, Top Stop Music, which also released Enrique’s 2012 Latin Grammy-winning salsa album Soy y sere.

“Salsa music is still very loved, very hot, but there aren’t a lot of good new salsa interpreters,” George remarked. “It’s still relying upon the legends who really can do it.”

George hinted that Anthony’s new album, to be released by Sony U.S. Latin, could re-invigorate the genre, just as Todo a su tiempo did in its day.

“There might be a couple of surprises on this album that people won’t expect from him,” George said, adding that a single could be out at the beginning of 2013. “This is totally new.”