Gilberto Santa Rosa

Name: Gilberto Santa Rosa
Date of Birth: 21 August 1962
Place of Birth: Carolina, Puerto Rico

Gilberto Santa Rosa is known as ”El Caballero de la Salsa” (The Gentleman of Salsa). His career started as a backup singer of Mario Ortiz Orchestra in 1976. Santa Rosa  grew up listening to the salsa of the ’50s and ’60s, strongly influenced by El Gran Combo. In 1986 he formed his own band and signed with Combo Records. He was the first salsa singer who had a performance in the Carnegie Hall Theatre, New York (”Represento” composed by Lour Briel) and in the Palau de La Música in Barcelona.

Because of his sales of ”Contraste” he received Gold and Platinum Certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (1.5 million copies were sold). In 2008 he started his biggest tour to date, which got critical acclaims and has shot Gilberto Santa Rosa even further to salsa stardom.

Discography:
1986    Good Vibration
1987    Keeping Cool
1988    De Amor Y Salsa
1988    Salsa… En Movimiento
1990    Punto De Vista
1991    Perspectiva
1992    El Caballero de la Salsa – Vol. 1
1992    A Dos TIempos De Un Tiempo
1993    Nace aquí
1994    De Cara Al Viento
1995    En Vivo Desde El Carnegie Hall
1996    Esencia
1999    Expresión
2001    Romántico
2001    Intenso
2002    Viceversa
2003    Sólo Bolero
2004    Auténtico
2006    Directo Al Corazón
2007    Contraste
2008    Una Navidad Con Gilberto


by Zsuzsa Melkvi
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About the Author: Zsuzsa Melkvi is a salsa dancer and teacher, having competed in Latin-American and Standard dances from 1995-1998. She is also the founder of Baila Cuba (www.bailacuba.hu), a Dance company focused on giving exclusively pure Afro-Cuban workshops in Hungary. Zsuzsa holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Hertfordshire.