Ernesto Antonio “Tito” Puente Born on This day
Ernesto Antonio “Tito” Puente was a Puerto Rican mambo musician and Latin jazz composer. He was born on April 20, 1923 in Harlem Hospital and grew up in Spanish Harlem, Puente is often credited as “The Musical Pope”, “El Rey de los Timbales” (The King of the Timbales) and “The King of Latin Music”. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that endured over a 50-year career.
