The Ultimate Tito Puente Playlist to Mark His 100th Birthday

The late Tito Puente would have turned 100 on Thursday (April 20). In honor of his birthday and enduring musical legacy, Billboard Español has put together the ultimate playlist featuring 40 hits by the late salsa icon.

With his unmatched prowess on timbales and cheerful pan-Latin rhythms, Puente rewrote the Latin pop playbook for half of the 20th century. Earning the nickname the King of Latin Music, the multi-hyphenate musician put Caribbean styles — including mambo, salsa, boogaloo, cha-cha-cha, rumba, guaracha and Afro-Cuban jazz — on the global map. His upbeat tropical compositions have endured well beyond their years. 

Born Ernesto Antonio Puente Jr. on April 20, 1923, in New York City’s Spanish Harlem to Puerto Rican parents, the young Nuyorican musician grew up surrounded by the rich Latin diversity the city is known for. He led his first orchestra in the late ‘40s, and by the 1950s, he became an unrivaled master of timbales and vibraphone. In 1969, he was bestowed the key to New York City.

In his lifetime, he released an immense discography that includes more than 100 full-length albums that showcased his propulsive dance rhythms and jubilant brass melodies. He penned timeless hits such as “Oye Como Va,” which was famously covered by Santana, “Mambo Gozón” (1958), “La Guarachera” (1966) with Celia Cruz, and many more. In the late ‘60s, Tito Puente joined New York’s maverick troupe Fania All-Stars, also featuring Eddie Palmeri, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz.

His journey began with “Ran Kan Kan,” his first recorded track, which is featured in the Google Doodle. In 1992, “Ran Kan Kan” entered the top 10 of Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart. In 2010, “Guantanamera” by Celia Cruz, featuring Puente, landed at No. 2 on the World Digital Song Sales chart. In 1995, Puente received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award.

Listen to the ultimate Tito Puente playlist below: