Ismael Quintana

Ismael Quintana (born July 3, 1937 in Ponce, Puerto Rico), is a renowned singer and composer of salsa music.

Many Puerto Rican families emigrated to New York City in the 1930s because of the economic crisis in the island. Quintana's family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old. There he went to school and while he was in high school he formed a band with his nieghborhood friends.

In 1961, bandleader Eddie Palmieri heard Quintana sing for an audition and invited him to join his newly organized orchestra "La Perfecta". Quintana accepted and became the lead singer of the band from 1961 to 1971. During this time he co-wrote some of Palmieri's major "hit" songs. With Palmieri, Quintana was awarded the 1966 Trophy for the "Most Popular Latin Singer of the Year", awarded at the famed Palladium Ballroom in New York.

Quintana left Palmieri for a solo career and signed with the Vaya Record Company Label. Between 1974 and 1983, he recorded five albums as a solo artist, scoring his first major "hit" with "Mi Debilidad" (My Weakness). He then followed with "Lo Que Estoy Viviendo" (1976) (What I'm Living Through) and "Amor, Vida y Sentimiento" (1977) (Love, Life and Feelings).

Quintana didn't always do solo's, he also participated with the Fania All-Stars and went on tour with them to Africa, Japan, France, Central and South America and the United States. In 1976, he made an appearence in the movie "Salsa", with Celia Cruz and Tito Puente. During the 1980s he recorded "Vamos Hablame Ahora" (Come on Talk to Me Now) and "Lo Que Pide La Gente" (What People Want).

Ismael Quintana retired from the world of music and currently lives with his family in New York.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans