About
Also known as: El Gran Combo, Gran Combo, La Universidad de la Salsa, The Grand Combo
For over six decades, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico has been the gold standard of salsa music, earning the nickname La Universidad de la Salsa, the University of Salsa, in Colombia because of the sheer number of legendary musicians who cut their teeth with the group. Founded in San Juan in May 1962 by Rafael Ithier, the orchestra grew out of the remnants of Rafael Cortijo's combo and quickly built a reputation for tight arrangements, irresistible grooves and those signature choreographed moves that became a staple of their live shows. Their second album, Acángana, hit number one in New York City, Panama and Puerto Rico and went gold, putting El Gran Combo on the map across Latin America. They doubled down on independence in 1970 by launching their own label, Combo Records, rather than signing with major offers including one from Motown. The band kept recording and performing well into their seventh decade, releasing new music as recently as 2021, proof that the combo nobody expected to last more than a few months became one of the most enduring acts in Latin music.
