Tito Puente

Who was Tito Puente?

Ernesto Antonio "Tito" Puente, was a Latin jazz and salsa musician and composer. The son of native Puerto Ricans, Ernest and Ercilia Puente, living in New York City's Spanish Harlem community, Puente is often credited as "The Musical Pope," "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music." He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that helped keep his career going for 50 years. He and his music appear in many films such as The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54. He guest-starred on several television shows including Sesame Street, The Cosby Show and The Simpsons.