 "El Caballero de la Salsa"
(The Gentleman of Salsa)
Gilberto Santa Rosa was born in Puerto Rico and started singing and performing
at an early age. In 1977, when he was only 14 years old he was given the
opportunity to record. In 1979 he recorded with Orquesta La Grande, directed by
Jose Canales. Later he met Elias Lopes who helped refine him as a singer and
brought him along to various recording dates, where he recorded jingles, and
sang coro in tropical music as well as other genres. That same year, producer
Frankie Gregory gave Gilberto the opportunity to participate in the recording "Homanaje
a Eddie Palmieri" by the Puerto Rico All-Stars and in various live shows with
this distinguished group.
The 80's were truly the turning point of his career. He was a member of Tommy
Olivenica's band from 1979 to 1981, with whom he made one recording. Then, in
1981 he joined Willie Rosario's band with whom he recorded six albums between
1981 and 1986.
In August of 1986, Gilberto Santa Rosa made his debut as a soloist and director
of an orchestra with the help of Combo Records, Rafael Ithier and producer Ralph
Cartagena, for whom he recorded four albums: "Good Vibrations," "Keeping Cool,"
"De Amor y Salsa" and "Salsa en Movimiento."
In May of 1990 he debuted in one of the most important venues of his native
Puerto Rico: the Centro de Bellas Artes in a concert with Luis Enrique.
In the mid-90s, Gilberto Santa Rosa left Combo Records and joined the CBS label,
which today is known as Sony Discos. His first production for that label was "Punto
de Vista," which went platinum. His next albums were 1991's "Perspecitva,"
1993's "A dos tiempos de un tiempo" (an homage to the great Tito Rodriguez) and
1993's "Nace Aqui," all of which earned him Gold and Platinum records and other
prizes like Agueybana, Paoli, Haca, Tu Música, Ronda and various nominations at
Premio Lo Nuestro.
In 1993, his eight sold-out shows at Centro de Bellas Artes broke records for
tropical artists at that venue. He performed at the NY Salsa Festival at Madison
Square Garden produced by Ralph Mercado where he earned critical acclaim by the
local press. In addition, he performed at two salsa festivals in Mexico City and
the Festival of Jazz and Latin Music in New Orleans.
At the end of 1994 Gilberto Santa Rosa released "De Cara Al Viento," a
production of 13 songs, and in them for the first time he added arrangements for
strings without losing his trademark style. "De Cara Al Viento" is an album that
Gilberto himself feels is one of his most complete recordings.
On March 23, 1995, Gilberto became the first Puerto Rican singer of his
generation to perform as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in New York City, before a
full house in a concert titled "The Man and His Music." This performance was
recorded and later released by Sony under that title.
In 1996, after two years of hard work in the studio, Gilberto released "Esencia,"
an album of 12 songs by some of the best songwriters in the business, including
three by Omar Olfano ("Esas Lagrimas," "Siempre Acabo Igual" and "Dolia Menos")
as well as songs by Jorge Luis Piloto ("Yo no te pido"), Manny Benito ("Me Falto")
and the great Armando Manzanero ("No ha pasado nada").
Notable songs include --
Que Manera de Quererte
Conciencia
Vivir Sin Ella
Te Propongo
Sin Voluntad
Quien Lo Diria
Perdóname
Para Vivir
Me Volvieron a Hablar de Ella
Impaciencia
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