Paquito Guzman

Across the Caribbean and South America, Paquito Guzmán is beloved as one of the great salsa romantica vocalists, a pioneer of the style. His smooth tenor has graced dozens of recordings -- solo and with orchestras. He has become a legend for his command of varying styles and rhythms from salsa and guajira to bolero and pachanga. Guzmán was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1939. His birth name is Frank Guzmán Géigel. His neighborhood was full of business establishments that hosted jukeboxes, and he fell in love with them. His first idol was bolero singer Cheíto Gonzalez. He sang jukebox hits for adults and often performed with older boys. As a teen he discovered the music of Rafael Cortijo y Su Combo and other Cuban sounds such as son montuno; he was an eager student who tried to master as many rhythms as possible, to add to his repertoire. He was rewarded for his diversity by being asked to perform with several local bands. At age 18, he performed on the popular television show La Piña de los Teenagers and became a cast member. A year later he moved on to another teen show, Teenagers Parade, where he gained experience singing in trios and fronting a studio band.