29 Facts About Ray Barretto

Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagan was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent.

Ray Barretto's first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States.

Ray Barretto's success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible".

Ray Barretto then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006.

Ray Barretto is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for his work with Periphery and Monuments.

Ray Barretto was born on April 29,1929, in Brooklyn, New York.

Ray Barretto's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the early 1920s, looking for a better life.

Ray Barretto's father left their family when Barretto was four, and his mother Delores moved the family to first Spanish Harlem on NYC's East Side then at the age of 7 to the Bronx.

In 1946, when Ray Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army.

Ray Barretto was not able to escape racial discrimination while stationed in Germany, which led him to a nightclub that was welcoming to black servicemen.

Ray Barretto was able to start his music career at this club by playing the back head of a banjo.

In 1949, when Ray Barretto returned home from military service, he started to visit clubs and participated in jam sessions, where he perfected his conga playing.

Ray Barretto is credited as being the first US born percussionist to incorporate the conga drum into jazz.

Ray Barretto developed a unique style of playing the conga and soon he was sought by other jazz band leaders.

In 1960, Ray Barretto was a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, and Riverside labels.

Ray Barretto recorded on Columbia Records with Jazz flautist Herbie Mann.

In 1962, Ray Barretto formed his first group, Charanga La Moderna, and recorded his first hit, "El Watusi" for Tico Records.

Ray Barretto was quite successful with the song and the genre, to the point of being typecast.

In 1965, Ray Barretto signed with the Latin division of United Artists, UA Latino, and began recording a series of albums in the boogaloo genre, which merges rhythm and blues with Latin music.

In 1973, Ray Barretto recorded the album Indestructible, in which he played "La familia", a song written by Jose Curbelo in 1953 and recorded by the sonero Carlos Argentino with the Cuban band Sonora Matancera; Tito Allen joined as new vocalist.

In 1975 he released Ray Barretto, referred to as the Guarare album, with new vocalists Ruben Blades and Tito Gomez.

Ray Barretto played the conga in recording sessions for the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees.

From 1976 to 1978, Ray Barretto recorded three albums for Atlantic Records, and was nominated for a Grammy for Ray Barretto Live.

Magazine, with Ray Barretto crowned as 'Conga Player of the Year'.

In 1990, Ray Barretto won his only Grammy, in the Tropical Music category, for the album Ritmo en el corazon, a collaboration featuring the vocals of Celia Cruz and Adalberto Santiago.

However, in 1992 Ray Barretto left the Legends to focus on his new jazz ensemble, New World Spirits, with which he recorded several albums for the Concord Jazz label.

In 1999, Ray Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

Ray Barretto lived in Northern New Jersey and was an active musical producer, as well as the leader of a touring band which embarked on tours of the United States, Africa, Europe, Israel and Latin America.

Ray Barretto's body was flown to Puerto Rico, where Barretto was given formal honors by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture; his remains were cremated.