In celebration of their 50thyear, Puerto Rico’s award-winning salsa sensation El Gran Combo will bring more than four decades of Latin dance classics to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 4 at noon.
El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico is one of the most beloved and recognized salsa orchestras in the world having released over 60 albums and launching the careers of many renowned musicians.
In 1963, El Gran Combo took the Puerto Rican airwaves by storm with Menéame Los Mangos (the phrase translates as Shake My Handles or Shake My Mangoes). Shortly thereafter, the group became the in-studio musicians of the India Beer sponsored live television show, La Taberna India.
Making their live debut at Hotel La Concha in San Juan that same year, the Puerto Rican powerhouse went on to release Acángana. The album became a number #1 hit going gold in New York, Panama and Puerto Rico, opened the door to worldwide exposure in many Latin American markets and earned them an exclusive spot on the Puerto Rican television show El Show de las 12.
It was not until 1967 that the group took a break from extensive touring and TV appearances to release
Boogaloo con el Gran Combo, another gold hit. Two years later, El Gran Combo was awarded an Agüeybana de Oro in Puerto Rico.
The 1970s were formative and productive with a new self-produced label, the additions of new singers and instrumentalists and releases including Estamos Primeros (1970), De Punta a Punta (slang for from Coast to Coast) (1971), El Gran Combo en Navidad (1975) International (1977) En Las Vegas (1978). The group even opened for the Fania All-Stars‘ sold out concert for 50,000 fans at New York’s Yankee Stadium.
While Breaking the Ice (1984) earned them their first Grammy nomination, the group continued to receive numerous awards throughout Latin America including a 2003 Grammy for Best Tropical Album, a Calendario de Plata in Mexico, a Golden Combo in Colombia, a Paoli Award in their native Puerto Rico, an honorable distinction in Spain and countless others.
In 2006, Arroz con Habichuela (Rice and Beans) featured three hit singles – the title song, “No Hay Manera” (There’s No Way) and “Si La Vez Por Ahí” and in 2010, two tribute albums were released; one by former member Andy Montañez and another by the bank Banco Popular, as part of their annual music series.
Tickets are $79, $69, $59 and $49*. All seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply