Willie Rosario
Encyclopedia
Willie Rosario a.k.a. "Mr. Afinque" (born May 6, 1930) is a musician, composer
and bandleader
of salsa music
.
into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar
lessons at the age of 6. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother also had him take saxophone
classes; however, what he really was interested in was the conga
. In 1946, he formed a band called Coamex but, a year later when he was 17 years old, his family to moved to New York City. The family rented an apartment in a Manhattan
community
known as Spanish Harlem
.
Rosario came into contact and played the conga for various orchestras. After he graduated from high school he continued his education and studied journalism and public relations. On one occasion Rosario visited the famed Palladium Ball Room in New York, where Tito Puente
was playing the timbales
. This was the beginning of his love affair with that instrument. He was 22 years old when he took classes with percussionist Henry Adler.
In 1962, he signed with the Alegre Records
label and traveled and performed with his band in Venezuela
, Panama
, Colombia
, Mexico, Curaçao
, U.S. Virgin Islands and all over the United States. In the 1980s he opened the Tropicana Club in Puerto Rico in association with fellow Puerto Rican musician Bobby Valentín
.
tunes "Flip, flop", "Stop and go" and "My Favorite Thing".
Rosario also produced the following songs with the participation of Gilberto Santa Rosa
, Tony Vega
, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentín; "Latin Jazz Go-Go-Go", "El Bravo soy Yo" (I'm the tough guy), "Too Too Much" and "Willie Rosario y su Ritmo".
for his song "Nueva Cosecha" (New Harvest), various Gold and Platinum Records, the Golden Agueybana
Award, ACE, Diplo and Paoli Awards. In 2000, the Puerto Rican Senate paid tribute to Willie Rosario in recognition of his 40 years in the field of music. In 2002, Willie Rosario was inducted into The International Latin Music Hall of Fame
.
Wllie Rosario's last production was "La Banda Que Deleita". He continues to play small venues in the San Juan area, having last been seen performing at Shots Bar & Grill in the Isla Verde Mall in late October 2006. Since his October 2006 performance, Willie Rosario and his band also performed for the Puerto Rican Medical Doctors' Association of El Paso (Texas) Gala in December 2007.
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 bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
of 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...
.
Early years
Rosario (birth name: Fernando Luis Rosario Marin) was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto RicoCoamo, Puerto Rico
Coamo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern region, north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 wards and Coamo Pueblo...
into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
lessons at the age of 6. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother also had him take saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
classes; however, what he really was interested in was the conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
. In 1946, he formed a band called Coamex but, a year later when he was 17 years old, his family to moved to New York City. The family rented an apartment in a Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
known as Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
.
Rosario came into contact and played the conga for various orchestras. After he graduated from high school he continued his education and studied journalism and public relations. On one occasion Rosario visited the famed Palladium Ball Room in New York, where Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
was playing the timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
. This was the beginning of his love affair with that instrument. He was 22 years old when he took classes with percussionist Henry Adler.
Rosario's first band
In 1959, Rosario organized his first band and played for three years in the Club Caborrojeño in New York. When not playing, he would work as a disc jockey for WADO, a Spanish speaking radio station in New York.In 1962, he signed with the Alegre Records
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...
label and traveled and performed with his band in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, 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...
, Mexico, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, U.S. Virgin Islands and all over the United States. In the 1980s he opened the Tropicana Club in Puerto Rico in association with fellow Puerto Rican musician Bobby Valentín
Bobby Valentin
Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...
.
Compositions
Among his best known compositions and arrangements are "De Barrio Obrero a la Quince", "El Timbal de Carlitos", "Mi Amigo el Payaso" (My friend the Clown) with lyrics by Luis Antonio Ruiz, "El Revendon", "Lluvia" (Rain), "Cuando No Hay Cariño" (When there's no Love). Plus, he also composed the following jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tunes "Flip, flop", "Stop and go" and "My Favorite Thing".
Rosario also produced the following songs with the participation of Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
, Tony Vega
Tony Vega
Tony Vega is a renowned salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:Vega received his primary education in his hometown. He was born into a family of musicians and therefore learned how to play the bongos and conga at an early age. In 1967, when he was 10 years old, he played the conga for a kids...
, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentín; "Latin Jazz Go-Go-Go", "El Bravo soy Yo" (I'm the tough guy), "Too Too Much" and "Willie Rosario y su Ritmo".
Awards and recognitions
Among the awards and recognitions bestowed upon Rosario are a nomination in 1987 for a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for his song "Nueva Cosecha" (New Harvest), various Gold and Platinum Records, the Golden Agueybana
Agüeybaná
Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II , were the principal and most powerful caciques of the Taíno people in "Borikén" when the Spaniards first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.- "The Great Sun" :...
Award, ACE, Diplo and Paoli Awards. In 2000, the Puerto Rican Senate paid tribute to Willie Rosario in recognition of his 40 years in the field of music. In 2002, Willie Rosario was 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:...
.
Wllie Rosario's last production was "La Banda Que Deleita". He continues to play small venues in the San Juan area, having last been seen performing at Shots Bar & Grill in the Isla Verde Mall in late October 2006. Since his October 2006 performance, Willie Rosario and his band also performed for the Puerto Rican Medical Doctors' Association of El Paso (Texas) Gala in December 2007.