Richie Ray
Encyclopedia
Ricardo "Richie" Ray is a virtuoso pianist
, singer, music arranger, composer
and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
. He is known as "El Embajador del Piano" (The Piano Ambassador).
, New York City of Puerto Rican parents. They lived in Hoyt Street. Ray's father, Pacifico Maldonado, was an accomplished guitarist in his native Bayamón, and as such was the Maldonado family's early musical influence.
Ray's parents had him take lessons and he started to play the piano when he was only seven years old. His life-long partnership with Robert "Bobby" Cruz Feliciano started five years later in 1957 when Ray played bass in a group led by Cruz. This combination was the beginning of one the greatest salsa duos in the salsa music
industry.
He attended the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the famed High School of Performing Arts
, and the Juilliard School
of Music. This experience served to further develop and refine his musical training. In addition, he became well versed in various Latin music genres which were popular at that time the Guajira, the Cha-cha-cha
, the Bolero
and others.
In 1966, the group switched to the Alegre label
, coinciding with the arrival of the boogaloo
. Ray recorded nine albums with Alegre. He was a part of Tico/Alegre Records until 1970, and during that time he produce such hits as "Richies Jala Jala", "Mr. Trumpet Man", "Señor Embajador", "Aguzate" (Gold Record Award winner), "Amparo Arrebato", "Traigo De Todo", and the Spanish version of Frank Sinatra
's "My Way", called "A Mi Manera". This song went on to be the most radio played Spanish version of "My Way" during 1970; the song also won the duo a Gold Record Award.
While with Alegre, Ray also recorded two albums for UA Latino. These included "Viva Ricardo" and "El Diferente" (Gold Record Award winner). The band scored a number one hit with the song "Colorín Colorado", while "El Diferente", "Feria En Manizales" and "Ay, Compay!", became number one hits in Latin America.
In 1968, Ray and Cruz had been together professionally for five years, had written most of their songs together, and for the first time in the album Los Durísimos, they shared equal billing in an album cover. This album had such hits as "Agallú", "Pancho Cristal", "Adasa", and "Yo Soy (Babalú)". Since then the band became officially known as Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz.
, for professional and personal reasons. They opened a nightclub, but managing it required too much of their time. Shortly after, they decided to sell the establishment to focus on their artistic commitments. That same year, Ray and Cruz signed with the new Vaya Records label, a subsidiary of Fania Records
.
In 1971, they released "El Bestial Sonido de Ricardo Ray y Bobby Cruz", the first ever release on Vaya Records, and was one of their better albums on that label. The album went gold, and it took them to the top of the charts once again. It included hits such as Joan Manuel Serrat
's "Señora", the bolero version of the Gardel/Lepera tango "Volver", and the Rubén Blades composition "Guaguancó Triste", as well as the salsa version of James Taylor
's "Fire And Rain". This album also included his most impressive and well-known hit called "Sonido Bestial", which has a Latin-flavoured arrangement of Chopin's Etude 10/12, and is considered a classic masterpiece of salsa music.
In 1974 The Dynamic Duo won the title "The Kings Of Salsa" at the "Coliseo Roberto Clemente" in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. For a period of 12 hours, 24 bands had competed for the coveted title, and Ray and Cruz emerged triumphant. Contracts started to pour in, requests for interviews and TV appearances, and even movie offers.
In August of that year, he surprised many when he announced that he had become a born-again evangelical Christian
. The professed experience radically changed his career and life. At first, Cruz refused to accept Ray's change, but within two months Cruz himself became a convert.
In spite of these dramatic changes, Ray & Cruz fans continued to support the duo. The 1976 release of Reconstrucción went "Gold" (their ninth). The album included their smash hit single "Juan En La Ciudad". They followed with Viven in 1977, De Nuevo 'Los Durísimos' Again (1980), and their final release on Vaya Records, Los Inconfundibles (1987) in which Ray and Cruz announced their retirement from Salsa music. All of these were successful releases.
Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz lost most of their fans and found opposition among the members of their own faith when they suggested the idea of Christian
Salsa. They stood their ground, however, and little by little, they started to regain the confidence of their fans and fellow Christians. They abandoned secular salsa and recorded salsa with a Christian
message, reworking many of their worldly hits into religious themes. Some of these include "El Sonido La Bestia", "Más Que Vencedores", and "Aguzate". They also created some new ones, like "Los Fariseos", "Timoteo", and "Sipriano"
The sincerity of their Christian
beliefs was not just conveyed in their music. Both Ray and Cruz are pastors, and they have founded more than 20 churches throughout Puerto Rico
and the United States. In addition, Ray founded the Salvation Records label as an outlet for Christian music. Then, he continued his music career although his long-time friend, Cruz, had retired. During "retirement", however, both Cruz and Ray released albums with previously recorded numbers and with other bands or singers. Richie Ray is now a pastor in Cape Coral under the CLM fellowship.
In 1991, Ray and Cruz reunited for successful concert appearances in San Juan and again in New York. They reunited again in 1999 for the "Sonido Bestial VIP" concert in the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez
located in Bayamón
, they sang some of their early hits together with some of their religious songs and the concert was recorded live. The outcome was so impressive that they were offered a contract by Universal Records
, the recording was selected as one of the best recordings of 1999 and helped bring the pair back into the limelight of the Puerto Rican music scene. The pair has continued active in the music scene since.
of the Luis A. Ferre
Center of Beautiful Arts in San Juan
. They were also honored with a National Day of Salsa in Bayamón. In 2002, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz were inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame
.
In 2003, Ray recorded "Al Ritmo del Piano" for Warner Music Latina
. Ray and Cruz continue to make appearances in places such as the Copacabana
Club in New York. In December 2005 Ray & Cruz release a totally *new* album under the label Tropisounds the album was recorded in Colombia
under the musical direction of its producer by Diego Galé, Que Vuelva La Música has 14 new tracks "El gallo y la vaca", "La bailarina", "Quim Bon Bori", "Vive contento", "Soy boricua" y "Va a llover" are just a few of the titles. The Album was an instant hit in Colombia
and Latin America. "El gallo y la vaca" (25th Nov) and "Salsa La Celebracion" (7th two weeks in April) appeared in the top 100 salsa songs charts in North America through 2006. In 2006 Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz won a Latin-Grammy Award for "Lifetime Achievement", this year they also recorded a CD and DVD titled "A lifetime of hits" (live at Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico) which was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the "Best Contemporary Tropical Album" category.
Ray currently lives in Florida
with his wife Angie Ray and besides being musically active, he is also busy attending the churches which he and Cruz found in the United States, Caribbean and Latin-America. Richard "Richie" Ray is still considered along with Eddie Palmieri
and Papo Lucca
one of the best and more influential pianists of all times in Salsa music. On August 16, 2008, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz celebrated 45 years in the musical business, with a concert at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
. Prior to the presentation, the duo noted that the concert would last at least three hours. The duo has expressed that this might be their last "big scale concert".
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, singer, music arranger, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz are an American musical duo consisting of Ricardo "Richie" Ray and Roberto "Bobby" Cruz. The duo was formed in 1963 and rose to fame in the mid 1960s. They are one of the most famous interpreters of 'salsa brava' music....
. He is known as "El Embajador del Piano" (The Piano Ambassador).
Early life
Ray (birth name: Richard Maldonado Morales) was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City of Puerto Rican parents. They lived in Hoyt Street. Ray's father, Pacifico Maldonado, was an accomplished guitarist in his native Bayamón, and as such was the Maldonado family's early musical influence.
Ray's parents had him take lessons and he started to play the piano when he was only seven years old. His life-long partnership with Robert "Bobby" Cruz Feliciano started five years later in 1957 when Ray played bass in a group led by Cruz. This combination was the beginning of one the greatest salsa duos in the salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
industry.
He attended the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the famed High School of Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, and the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
of Music. This experience served to further develop and refine his musical training. In addition, he became well versed in various Latin music genres which were popular at that time the Guajira, the Cha-cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha (music)
The Cha-cha-chá is a style of Cuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from the danzón in the early 1950s.- Origin :As a dance music genre, cha-cha-chá is unusual in that its creation can be attributed to a single composer, Enrique Jorrín, then violinist and songwriter with the...
, the Bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
and others.
Musical career
Ray left Juilliard in 1963, after just one year. He made this choice so that he could get organized and dedicate himself to his own band. This was a year after Cruz joined in as the lead vocalist. In 1965, he signed with Fonseca Records and released his debut album, Ricardo Ray Arrives-Comején. The album included the outstanding hit songs "Mambo Jazz", "Comején", "Viva Richie Ray", "El Mulato", "Suavito", "Pa' Chismoso Tú" and the bolero-cha "Si Te Contaran". The famous pair recorded some of their finest work during the period that they were with the Fonseca label.In 1966, the group switched to the Alegre label
Alegre Records
Alegre Records was a New York record label that was founded in 1956 by Al Santiago who owned a 1950s record store in The Bronx named Casalegre and co-founded by clothing businessman Ben Perlman...
, coinciding with the arrival of the boogaloo
Boogaloo
Boogaloo or bugalú is a genre of Latin music and dance that was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other groups. The style was a fusion of popular African American R&B and soul with mambo and son montuno...
. Ray recorded nine albums with Alegre. He was a part of Tico/Alegre Records until 1970, and during that time he produce such hits as "Richies Jala Jala", "Mr. Trumpet Man", "Señor Embajador", "Aguzate" (Gold Record Award winner), "Amparo Arrebato", "Traigo De Todo", and the Spanish version of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's "My Way", called "A Mi Manera". This song went on to be the most radio played Spanish version of "My Way" during 1970; the song also won the duo a Gold Record Award.
While with Alegre, Ray also recorded two albums for UA Latino. These included "Viva Ricardo" and "El Diferente" (Gold Record Award winner). The band scored a number one hit with the song "Colorín Colorado", while "El Diferente", "Feria En Manizales" and "Ay, Compay!", became number one hits in Latin America.
In 1968, Ray and Cruz had been together professionally for five years, had written most of their songs together, and for the first time in the album Los Durísimos, they shared equal billing in an album cover. This album had such hits as "Agallú", "Pancho Cristal", "Adasa", and "Yo Soy (Babalú)". Since then the band became officially known as Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz.
The 1970s
In 1970, Ray and Cruz left New York and moved to San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, for professional and personal reasons. They opened a nightclub, but managing it required too much of their time. Shortly after, they decided to sell the establishment to focus on their artistic commitments. That same year, Ray and Cruz signed with the new Vaya Records label, a subsidiary of Fania Records
Fania Records
Fania Records was a New York based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from an old Cuban song by the singer Reinaldo Bolaño. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become...
.
In 1971, they released "El Bestial Sonido de Ricardo Ray y Bobby Cruz", the first ever release on Vaya Records, and was one of their better albums on that label. The album went gold, and it took them to the top of the charts once again. It included hits such as Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa is a Catalan Spanish singer-songwriter.Serrat is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages...
's "Señora", the bolero version of the Gardel/Lepera tango "Volver", and the Rubén Blades composition "Guaguancó Triste", as well as the salsa version of James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's "Fire And Rain". This album also included his most impressive and well-known hit called "Sonido Bestial", which has a Latin-flavoured arrangement of Chopin's Etude 10/12, and is considered a classic masterpiece of salsa music.
In 1974 The Dynamic Duo won the title "The Kings Of Salsa" at the "Coliseo Roberto Clemente" in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. For a period of 12 hours, 24 bands had competed for the coveted title, and Ray and Cruz emerged triumphant. Contracts started to pour in, requests for interviews and TV appearances, and even movie offers.
Born-again Christian
All of these things spoke of success, but Ray suffered strong emotional problems during this time. The despair he felt led him into alcohol and drug abuse. He felt tormented by his addictions, however, and wanted to change his life.In August of that year, he surprised many when he announced that he had become a born-again evangelical Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
. The professed experience radically changed his career and life. At first, Cruz refused to accept Ray's change, but within two months Cruz himself became a convert.
In spite of these dramatic changes, Ray & Cruz fans continued to support the duo. The 1976 release of Reconstrucción went "Gold" (their ninth). The album included their smash hit single "Juan En La Ciudad". They followed with Viven in 1977, De Nuevo 'Los Durísimos' Again (1980), and their final release on Vaya Records, Los Inconfundibles (1987) in which Ray and Cruz announced their retirement from Salsa music. All of these were successful releases.
Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz lost most of their fans and found opposition among the members of their own faith when they suggested the idea of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Salsa. They stood their ground, however, and little by little, they started to regain the confidence of their fans and fellow Christians. They abandoned secular salsa and recorded salsa with a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
message, reworking many of their worldly hits into religious themes. Some of these include "El Sonido La Bestia", "Más Que Vencedores", and "Aguzate". They also created some new ones, like "Los Fariseos", "Timoteo", and "Sipriano"
The sincerity of their Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
beliefs was not just conveyed in their music. Both Ray and Cruz are pastors, and they have founded more than 20 churches throughout Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the United States. In addition, Ray founded the Salvation Records label as an outlet for Christian music. Then, he continued his music career although his long-time friend, Cruz, had retired. During "retirement", however, both Cruz and Ray released albums with previously recorded numbers and with other bands or singers. Richie Ray is now a pastor in Cape Coral under the CLM fellowship.
In 1991, Ray and Cruz reunited for successful concert appearances in San Juan and again in New York. They reunited again in 1999 for the "Sonido Bestial VIP" concert in the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez
Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez
The Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez is one of the biggest indoor sporting arenas in Puerto Rico. The coliseum was dedicated to Rubén Rodríguez . It is located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
located in Bayamón
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
, they sang some of their early hits together with some of their religious songs and the concert was recorded live. The outcome was so impressive that they were offered a contract by Universal Records
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, the recording was selected as one of the best recordings of 1999 and helped bring the pair back into the limelight of the Puerto Rican music scene. The pair has continued active in the music scene since.
Later years
In 2000, Ray and Cruz held a series of concerts that were completely sold out at the Antonio Paoli HallAntonio Paolí
Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
of the Luis A. Ferre
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
Center of Beautiful Arts in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. They were also honored with a National Day of Salsa in Bayamón. In 2002, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz were inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame
International Latin Music Hall of Fame
The International Latin Music Hall of Fame was established in 1999.In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the award ceremonies include Special Recognition Awards and Beny Moré Memorial Award.-1999:...
.
In 2003, Ray recorded "Al Ritmo del Piano" for Warner Music Latina
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. Ray and Cruz continue to make appearances in places such as the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
Club in New York. In December 2005 Ray & Cruz release a totally *new* album under the label Tropisounds the album was recorded in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
under the musical direction of its producer by Diego Galé, Que Vuelva La Música has 14 new tracks "El gallo y la vaca", "La bailarina", "Quim Bon Bori", "Vive contento", "Soy boricua" y "Va a llover" are just a few of the titles. The Album was an instant hit in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Latin America. "El gallo y la vaca" (25th Nov) and "Salsa La Celebracion" (7th two weeks in April) appeared in the top 100 salsa songs charts in North America through 2006. In 2006 Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz won a Latin-Grammy Award for "Lifetime Achievement", this year they also recorded a CD and DVD titled "A lifetime of hits" (live at Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico) which was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the "Best Contemporary Tropical Album" category.
Ray currently lives in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with his wife Angie Ray and besides being musically active, he is also busy attending the churches which he and Cruz found in the United States, Caribbean and Latin-America. Richard "Richie" Ray is still considered along with Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri , is a Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican pianist, bandleader and musician, best known for combining jazz piano and instrumental solos with Latin rhythms.-Early years:...
and Papo Lucca
Papo Lucca
Enrique Arsenio Lucca Quiñonez, better known as Papo Lucca, born on April 10, 1946, Ponce, Puerto Rico.Papo Lucca is a famous Puerto Rican multi-instrumentalist , but is best known as a pianist. Main musical genre focus are Salsa and Latin Jazz...
one of the best and more influential pianists of all times in Salsa music. On August 16, 2008, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz celebrated 45 years in the musical business, with a concert at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
The José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, officially named "Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot" , is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment...
. Prior to the presentation, the duo noted that the concert would last at least three hours. The duo has expressed that this might be their last "big scale concert".
Selected discography
| Fonseca Records | Alegre Records | United Artists |
|---|---|---|
| Ricardo Ray Arrives - Comején 1965 | Se Soltó (On the Loose) 1966 | El Diferente 1970 |
| On the Scene 1966 | Jala Jala y Boogaloo Jala Jala y Boogaloo Jala Jala y Boogaloo is an album released by the salsa music duet Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz. Released in 1967, the album is influenced not only by Latin rhythms such as the Puerto Rican Jala Jala, but also by Beat music.... 1967 |
Viva Ricardo 1969 |
| 3 Dimensions 1966 | Jala Jala y Boogaloo Vol. 2 1968 | |
| Richie Ray Introducing Bobby Cruz A-Go-Go 1966 |
Los Durísimos/The Strong Ones 1968 | |
| En Fiesta Navideña 1966 | Let's Get Down to the Real Nitty Gritty 1968 | |
| Los Durísimos y Yo (Nidya Caro) 1969 | ||
| Aguzate 1969 | ||
| Vaya Records | Ray & Bo Records | Appearances with Fania All-Stars |
| El Bestial Sonido 1971 | A su nombre Gloria 1978 | Our Latin Thing 1971 Ahora Vengo Yo |
| Felices Pascuas 1972 | Renovando la Salsa 1979 | Live at the Red Garter Vol. 1 1972 (1968) Richies Bag |
| Jammin' Live 1972 | Abriendo Surcos 1979 | Fania All Stars at the Cheetah Vol. 2 1974 (1971) Ahora Vengo Yo |
| Amor en la Escuela 1974 | En Familia 1983 | Live at the Yankee Stadium Vol. 2 1975 Hermandad Fania |
| 1975 (1974) | Más que Vencedores 1984 | |
| 10 Aniversario 1975 | Maravilloso 1985 | |
| Reconstrucción 1976 | Adelante Juventud 1988 | |
| Viven 1977 | Angie, Mi Piano y Yo 1992 | |
| El Sonido de la Bestia 1980 | ||
| Las Águilas/The Eagles 1982 | ||
| Los Inconfundibles 1987 | Releases After the Year 2000 | |
| Voz Palabra Y Jubilo 2000 WEA Latina |
Lo Nuevo y Lo Mejor 2001 WEA Latina |
Caminando 2002 Rejoice Music |
| Casa De Alabanza Vol 1 2003 (Rejoice Music) WEA Latina |
40 Aniversario En Vivo 2004 Combo Records |
Que Vuelva La Música 2005 Tropisounds |
| A Lifetime of hits (Live at Centro de Bellas Artes de Puerto Rico 2006 |
External links
- Biography at Popular Culture's
- Discography
- Bobby's Biography