Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez

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Not to be confused with Pete Rodriguez (boogaloo musician).

Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez
Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez
Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez
Background information
Birth namePedro Juan Rodríguez Ferrer
Also known as"El Conde"
Born31 January 1933
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Died2 December 2000 (aged 67)
New York City[1]
Genressalsa
Occupation(s)Musician
Years active1963–2000
Associated actsFania All-Stars, Johnny Pacheco, Adalberto Santiago, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz

Pedro Juan Rodríguez Ferrer[note 1] (31 January 1933 – 2 December 2000), better known as Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez was a salsa singer born in Barrio Cantera,[2] Ponce, Puerto Rico. His son, also named Pete Rodriguez, is also a salsa and jazz musician.[3] His daughter, Cita Rodriguez, is also an accomplished salsa singer.

Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez was a percussionist who started playing bongos at the age of five. After working with local groups in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he moved to The Bronx during the 1950s. While singing and playing the congas in a Bronx bar, he was spotted by legendary bandleader Johnny Pacheco. His first album was titled Suavito, which was released in 1963.

Just a year later in 1964, Pacheco and his lawyer Jerry Masucci founded The Fania All-Stars, a combination of the best Latin singers and musicians at that time. Pete's first album under the Fania label was . Between 1964 and 1973, Rodriguez and Pacheco recorded seven albums including (1970), (1971), and (1973).

In 1974, Rodríguez left the Fania All-Stars and concentrated on a successful solo career. His solo debut album El Conde (1974) was an award winner. His 1976 album was rated ninth in best Salsa records at that time. That album featured one of his most popular songs, "Catalina La O".

During the 1980s, with the Fania All-Stars on the verge of disbanding, Rodriguez reunited with Johnny Pacheco and recorded four more albums between 1983 and 1989. Their 1987 album was nominated for a Grammy. By 1990, he went solo again.

Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez only recorded two albums in the 1990s with one of his hit songs "Esos Tus Ojos Negros" being released in 1993. By 2000, he was hired by Tito Puente to provide lead vocals for a tribute to the late bolero singer Benny Moré. However, the album was released posthumously because Puente died on 31 May 2000. Rodriguez also had a heart ailment, but he refused to undergo bypass surgery as Puente did. On 2 December 2000, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 67.

Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarría (left) and Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez at Radio Voz WVOZ Puerto Rico (1980s)

Discography[]

  • Suavito (1963)
  • Cañonazo (1964)
  • Swing (Con El Conjunto Sensacion) (1965)
  • Sabor Típico (1967)
  • La Perfecta Combinación (1970)
  • Los Compadres (1971)
  • Tres de Café y Dos de Azúcar (1973)
  • El Conde (1974)
  • Este Negro Si Es Sabroso (1976)
  • A Touch of Class (1978)
  • Soy la Ley (1979)
  • Fiesta Con "El Conde" (1982)
  • Salsobita (1987)
  • El Rey (1990)
  • Generaciones (1993)
  • Pete & Papo (1996)
  • 35 Aniversario En Vivo! En El Teatro La Perla En Ponce P.R (1996)

Notes[]

  1. ^
    In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Ferrer.

References[]

  1. ^ Salsa Star Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez Dead At 68: The Puerto Rico-born singer performed with Johnny Pacheco, the Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz. Mikel Toombs. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  2. ^ A son y bolero recuerdan al hijo predilecto de La Cantera. Omar Alfonso. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 29 November 2017. Year 35. Number 1774. Page 12. Accessed 29 November 2017.
  3. ^ Chirco, Keith. "Pete's Bio". Pete's Trumpet. Pete Rodriguez. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2008.

External links[]

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